Not a Chance Meeting
by Emconn
Summary: Aleisa has been sent out into the country to get away from the bombings. Along the way she crosses paths with the Pevensies. After a brief time with them she carries on with her life, but meets up with them again. This time in the magical land of Narnia. Is this just a chance meeting or is there a reason for all of this?. What adventures does Narnia have in store for them?
1. Chapter 1

The searchlights were scanning the foggy skies and the sirens were blaring throughout the city, signaling the impending bombing to its citizens. German bombers were being pelted by antiaircraft guns and were swooping through the air in effort to avoid being shot down. The pilots looked down at the city below and aimed their weapons. With a push of a button bombs were being dropped, drastically effecting the lives of the people down on the ground.

In one of the houses below, a young boy with black hair and large brown eyes eagerly watched all the action outside through his bedroom window. His eyes followed the planes and the bright lights from the search lights and the exploding bombs. His mother opened up the door and sighed at the sight of her son.

"Edmund." She sternly called, rushing over to him.

"Get away from there!" she grabbed him and pulled him away from the window. She frantically closed the blinds.

"Peter!" she called for her oldest son. He came running into the room.

"What Peter says you'll do it!" the brown haired mother told Edmund, leaving no room for argument.

"Peter take him out of here now!" she told the dark blonde hared boy. He obeyed and grabbed his brother's arm harshly.

"Come on!" he yelled, dragging him by the arm. Edmund then remembered something.

"Oh wait no!" he protested after a moment.

"No, leave it!" Peter argued, still pulling on his arm. Edmund was easily over powered and dragged away from the room. Their mother quickly grabbed some blankets and other necessary things.

In another room, the youngest of the Pevensies laid in her bed with her hands over her ears.

"Mommy!" she cried tearfully. Just then the oldest daughter, not too much younger than Peter, ran into the room and looked around. She shined her torch over towards the bed and saw her sister crying.

"Lucy come on!" She urged and grabbed her hand. Lucy immediately ran along with her sister. The family scrambled out of their house toward the bomb shelter in the backyard. They shouted encouragements of 'come quickly' and 'run' to get their family to the shelter faster. Lucy was running right behind her mother and Peter, as the man of the house, brought up the back. He was very protective of his family. As they reached the shelter Edmund thought back to what he left behind.

"Wait Dad!" he cried and slipped around Peter, running back toward the house.

"Ed!"

"Edmund NO!" Peter and his mother cried, seeing him take off. Lucy and Susan had made their way into the underground shelter already. The bombing and sirens had gotten louder now.

"I'll get him!" Peter shouted back to his mother before racing after him.

"Peter come back!" she protested in fear. Of course she wanted Edmund safe, but she couldn't lose both of her sons either. Peter caught up with Edmund just as he ran inside. Edmund reached for a picture on the side table. Peter heard the siren's wailing increase and dove for his brother.

"Ed get down!" he warned as they both went sprawling to the floor as a bomb went off near the house. The force of the blast shattered the window above them.

"Come on you idiot RUN!" Peter shouted at him and yanked on his arm. Edmund pulled against him and reached for the now shattered picture frame. Just as he grabbed it, he allowed Peter to pull him out.

"Get out!" Peter urged as the two of them sprinted to the shelter. Their mother was at the entrance watching and waving them on to hurry. They scrambled down the stairs and Edmund was pushed onto the cot on the floor.

"You never think about anyone but yourself, you're so selfish! You could have gotten us killed!" Peter screamed at his brother. He was livid that Edmund had pulled a stunt like that.

"Peter stop it!" his mother scolded. Peter stopped his rant and everyone looked toward the teary eyed boy on the floor, clutching the broken picture of his father. His mother lifted him up and hugged her whimpering son. He was terrified enough already.

"Why can't you just do as you're told?" Peter harshly asked. It was obvious that he was equally shaken up by the experience. Edmund looked up with scared eyes at his brother. Peter sighed and turned to shut the door of the bunker.

On the other side of the city there was another family who were also trying to flee the bombing. In an average sized two story house a girl, age 16 runs around her room filling a small bag full of her belongings. Her raven hair is in a mess from being woken up suddenly as she frantically snatches some clothing and throws it into her satchel. As she continues her sea green eyes scan the dark room as best they can for anything she could've forgotten. She spies an old frame that contains a picture of her family when it was whole. Her father, a younger version of herself, and her now deceased mother. Her father worked in the war office, which wasn't too far from their home. Because of his outstanding character, his superiors allowed him to avoid the draft to fight on the front lines so he could stay with his daughter. They were all each other had left, so he didn't want to be parted from her.

She grabs the picture and puts it into her satchel just as her bedroom door is thrown open. A middle aged man with dark hair stood in the threshold, his eyes landing on his daughter at the far end.

"Aleisa [A-lee-sa] we need to get out of here! Come on!" he was frantic as they made their way towards each other. They made a move to leave when they heard the whistle of a falling bomb. Her father's eyes widened and he dove to the floor covering his daughter. "Get down!" The bomb fell and landed close enough to rattle the house and shatter a couple windows. Once the blast had passed the two of them sprinted down the stairs toward the back door. They ran outside towards their bomb shelter a few feet away. The bomb sirens were blaring through the night air as they ran, fearing for their lives. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the doors and he pulled them open. He ushered Aleisa down the stairs into the underground room below. She shuffled across the room and lit a couple of the lamps so they could see in the cement room. She heard a loud thud and the sounds of the chaos outside were muffled. She turned to see her father climbing down the stairs. He leaved a heavy sigh and gave her a stern look. Aleisa didn't meet his eyes and looked down. She knew better than to stay up in her room that long when the bomb sirens went off.

"What were you thinking? You could've been killed. What was so important that you couldn't come down the stairs in time?" he sternly asked her. He didn't need to raise his voice for her to hear the disappointment and fear he felt. He was always a gentle, soft spoken man and even in extreme cases he rarely rose his voice. Her mother was the one with the fiery temper. She looked up with watery eyes. Reaching into her satchel she pulled out the frame and held it out to him.

"I had to take at least one picture of her with me. Just in case the house got hit." She whispered. He looked down at the picture and smiled. He knew her mother and the memory of her was important to Aleisa. He reached over and enveloped her in a hug as silent tears ran down her cheeks. She wasn't really one to cry but the close call had really shaken her up.

"I know love, I know. It's ok, you had good intentions but no picture is worth your life. We will always have her memories in our hearts." He told her as he held her close. She was so much like her mother. He didn't need a picture of her every day because Aleisa was practically a spitting image, minus his hair color. Aleisa nodded and let out a small laugh, wiping away the tears.

"It seemed like a noble cause at the time." She chuckled and he soon joined her. He set a hand on her head and smiled down lovingly at her. Looking down at his watch he sighed again. It was pretty late.

"Alright Tiger, let's get some sleep. It's not like we have much else to do at the moment anyway." He told her. She smiled at the familiar nickname. She had also inherited her mother's temper and can-do attitude, so her father thought the name suited her. There was one decent sized bed over in the corner of the room. The two of them climbed under the sheets and Aleisa snuggled up close to her father. She wouldn't admit it but she was still frightened and hearing her father's strong heartbeat gave her comfort. He smiled down at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. As he heard her breathing even out, he laid awake thinking about what to do. He couldn't keep her in harm's way, no matter how much she protested. He decided that perhaps he should send her away temporarily. He wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to her. Making his decision he soon fell asleep too


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Narnia (books or movies) that all belongs to C.S. Lewis and Disney. I only own my OC and select dialogue.**

The train station was fully packed with parents and their children. Since the bombings were becoming more frequent hundreds of children were being sent out into the country for safety. The Pevensie children were no different. Policemen and other officials were assisting the children in loading onto the train. Mrs. Pevensie was kneeling in front of Lucy, tightening her tag onto her coat buttons. The labels were so they would know what stranger was taking them in when they got to the countryside.

"You have to keep this on darling, ok?" Mrs. Pevensie gently told her. Lucy looked down at her mother with sad eyes.

"Are you warm enough?" she asked. Lucy nodded her head silently. She turned and started putting Edmund's on. Edmund looked around at all the families saying teary goodbyes. Why did they have to leave? In his eyes it wasn't fair.

"If dad was here we wouldn't have to go." Edmund complained.

"If dad were here that would mean the war would be over and we wouldn't have to go." Peter shot back at him. Mrs. Pevensie sighed.

"You WILL listen to your brother won't you Edmund?" she asked looking up at Edmund. Ed rolled his eyes. His mother stood up and brought him into a hug. When she tried to give him a kiss on the cheek he made a huff of protest and turned his head. He was still upset with her. She looked at him with a hurt expression. Hugging him again she turned to Peter. Peter gave her a sad look and firmly embraced her.

"Promise me you'll look after the others?" she whispered in his ear. Peter blinked back tears.

"I will mum." He mumbled back to her. She pulled away and nodded.

"Good man." She told him. They heard the 'all aboard 'in the distance. They didn't have much time left. She looked over at Susan, who gave her a soft smile. They hugged each other tight. Susan sniffled not letting the tears fall either.

"Be a big girl." Her mother told her softly. Susan nodded and gave her a watery smile. Their mother stood back and looked over all of them.

"Alright….off you go." She told them, putting on a brave face. They all bent down to pick up their cases. Lucy latched tightly onto Peter's hand. They slowly made their way toward the train. Lucy looked back with watery eyes at her mother. Susan led the way and grabbed Edmund's hand so they wouldn't lose each other. He greatly protested. The siblings made their way forward.

"May I have your tickets please?" an attendee asked them. Peter pulled out the tickets, but something caught his eye. He looked over and saw young men in army uniforms getting off the train. He stared at them with a wistful look. Maybe his father would come home soon, or maybe in a year or so he could join the army. They attendee asked him again for the tickets, but Peter was too distracted to notice. Susan looked back at him and grabbed them, irritated.

"Peter!" she grumbled, and showed them to the lady. They got the approval and proceeded forward. As the siblings made their way to the front of the train platform, Lucy looked back again and tried to find their mother.

"Come on Lucy." Peter gently tugged her along. Lucy started to tear up. Peter saw this and bent down to her level.

"We've got to stick together now. It's going to be all right. It's going to be fine." He cooed. She pulled herself closer to her brother and kept walking. The last of the children got on and the doors closed. All the teary eyed parent pushed their way up, so they could say their last goodbyes. Mrs. Pevensie was no exception. Susan opened the door window, since all the hall windows were packed with other children. She stuck her head out and looked around. She smiled when she spotted her mother. The rest of the Pevensie siblings crammed themselves into the small opening and waved goodbye to their mother as the train started forward. As the train started picking up speed the siblings made their way into an empty compartment and put their things up on the rack above.

Aleisa stood with her father among the crowd of parents and their children who were being sent into the country for safety reasons. She didn't have a tag like most of the other children around her, she knew who she was staying with very well. She would be staying with her uncle from her mother's side. She sighed as she saw the passengers starting to board.

"Now Aleisa you have everything you need right? Clothes, toiletries, books and whatever else you wanted to bring?" Her father asked from beside her. Aleisa sadly smiled up at him.

"Yes I have everything. Although it's a little late to be asking isn't it?" she pointed out with a smirk. Her father ruffled her hair with a fond smile. He was going to miss her a lot, almost as much as she would miss him. Aleisa looked up at her father as he turned her around and rested his hands on her shoulders. They both gave watery smiles, being too stubborn to let any tears fall.

"You be good for Uncle Ross, ok Tiger?" She nodded her head. They both stood there looking at each other wasting time until Aleisa absolutely had to get on the train.

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" she mumbled. He gave her a sad smile. If only he could.

"I wish I could love, but the war office needs me. I'll see you soon though, and the second I have a spare day you can bet that I will be over to visit you." He assured his daughter. They heard the train whistle, signaling that it would be leaving soon. Aleisa quickly latched onto her father in a hug, hoping that this wouldn't be the last one. He hugged her back just as strongly.

"I love you Aleisa." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Daddy." She whimpered in response. The two finally broke apart and Aleisa picked up her luggage and walked over to the stairs of the train. She showed the man her boarding tickets and took one last look back at her father. He waved to her and she smiled back, since her hands were full. She put on a strong face and made her way onto the train.

Looking around she finally found one with enough room for her. The train was already moving so she wasn't caught up in the bustle of all the families saying goodbye as the train was rolling away. Walking into the compartment she saw what seemed to be four siblings.

"Excuse me, but is anyone else sitting here?" she politely asked, gesturing to an empty seat beside the eldest girl. "No, you can take it." The girl responded with a polite smile. Aleisa nodded her head in thanks and tried to put her luggage in the racks above her. She wasn't overly short but the racks were fairly high and with the extra weight she couldn't quite get it up there. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her.

"Here let me help with that." She heard a masculine voice say behind her. She turned to face whoever it was and was met with kind, clear blue eyes. She blanked for a moment, startled by the closeness of the boy.

"Thanks." She replied, covering up how flustered she was. He smiled shyly at her and grabbed her bag before reaching to set it in the rack. She took the opportunity to look him over. He was fairly handsome with his dark blonde hair and light eyes. He seemed to be in good shape, tall, and Aleisa guessed him to be about her age. Once he was done with her luggage she gave him another 'thanks' before sitting down in her seat. He gave her a nod and sat down. The atmosphere was now full of awkward silence. Aleisa decided to at least ask their names, so she wouldn't feel as if she were with complete strangers. Even though she was.

"I'm Aleisa. Might I ask who you all are?" The four others with her all turned to look at her. The older boy from before spoke up.

"Peter. And these are my siblings Susan, Lucy, and Edmund." He introduced, nodding to each one as he named them. Lucy gave her a small wave and Aleisa couldn't help but smile back. She noticed that Susan and Edmund were a bit more standoffish than the other two. Edmund much more so than Susan. He just seemed to hate the world at the moment. After they were all introduced they fell back into silence for the rest of the trip. They were all nervous about traveling away from home, and the pain was still raw. Aleisa pulled out a book she was reading to pass the time. During the trip the Pevensie siblings sat in silence while looking out the window, reading, or sleeping. Peter however kept looking at the extra passenger on the other side of the compartment. However he hid it well for the most part, since he also pulled out a book. He couldn't help but think she was beautiful and something about her drew him in. Lucy noticed some of the glances and smirked at him. Peter just shook his head at her with a smile. It was just a simple, fleeting crush. He was most likely never going to see her again so there was no reason for him to pursue the matter any further. Unbeknownced to him, Aleisa was doing the same thing. Little did either of them know that this was only the beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

The Pevensies arrived at their stop and bid farewell to their new acquaintance. They got off the train and waited on the deserted platform. The train rolled away and left the four of them standing there, unsure of what to do next. They heard the sound of a car and hurried down the stairs of the platform to meet it. Surely this was their ride. They made it to the bottom and watched as the car made its way right past them, and drove away. Their shoulders dropped as they stood there waiting for whomever was supposed to pick them up.

"The professor knew we were coming…." Susan trailed off. Surely he didn't forget about them.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled." Edmund suggested. He lifted up his tag and looked at it. Just then they heard the sound of a whip and a carriage. Looking up they saw a wagon being pulled by a large white horse. It stopped in front of them and the stern older woman stared down at them with a blank expression. Peter and Susan looked at each other in question.

"Mrs. McCready?" Peter asked, his expression in a slight grimace.

"I'm afraid so.." she drawled out. "Is this it then? Haven't you brought anything else?" she asked looking down at their luggage.

"No, ma'am. It's us." Peter told her. Lucy nodded in agreement, looking up at the lady.

"Small favors….." she mumbled to herself. She nodded her head, indicating for them to get in the back. They all climbed in and made their way to the manor.

Once they got there they followed Mrs. McCready into the house.

"Proffesor Kirk is unaccustomed to having children in the house so there are a few rules to follow." She drawled on as she lead them up the staircase. She whipped around and looked at Susan, who was in front of the siblings.

"There will be no shoutin', or runnin'…." She continued on with the rules. Susan reached out to touch a marble bust when McCready caught her.

"NO….touching of the historical artifacts!" she shouted, making Susan jump and flush in embarrassment. Peter and Edmund looked at each other holding in snickers. McCready continued on with their tour. This was going a long day.

After the siblings had gotten off, Aleisa was left alone in the compartment. She still had at least another hour before she arrived at the station near her uncle's estate.

By the time she reached her destination is was late in the evening. Aleisa was able to get her luggage down from the top racks and made her way to the platform outside. Once she stepped off the train she looked around the bustling station for a familiar face. Seeing none she made her way to a nearby bench. Setting her cases down beside it, she stood up on the bench to get a better view. Ignoring the disapproving murmurs from the people around her she again scanned the crowd for her Uncle. Surely he knew she was coming.

"Aleisa!" she heard a familiar voice shout and turned her head in that direction. She finally saw the unshaven face of her uncle. She smiled and waved at him before stepping down and running over to him. Her Uncle Ross was her mother's twin brother. They were alike in their personalities and were often mischievous. He had the same Auburn hair and sea green eyes that her mother had. Once she reached him, he swiftly wrapped his arms around her and swung her around a bit. She laughed for the first time in days. Despite her upsetting situation, she was thankful that she was able to stay with her favorite uncle and his family. He finally set her down and beamed down at his niece.

"Well it's great to finally have you come join us Aleisa. Maria and Bethany can't wait to see you again." Ross put his arm around her shoulders and walked over to where her discarded luggage was sitting.

"I can't wait to see them either! Did Aunt Maria already have her baby?" Aleisa excitedly asked. It had been about a year since she had seen her cousin and Aunt. In the last letter they received, Bethany had mentioned that she would soon be a big sister.

"Oh I forgot you haven't met Colin yet." Ross smiled again at the thought of his new son.

"Oh it's a boy! That's lovely!" Aleisa excitedly chattered. Ross had grabbed her luggage and they made their way over to where the horse and buggies were kept. He laughed at his niece's enthusiasm. Ross and Aleisa turned a corner and Aleisa gasped. Sitting there were two of her uncle's horses. Aleisa loved to ride but due to her living in the city, she never had the chance to. Her uncle let out another chuckle at her surprised expression. He tied one of her bags to each horse so neither would tire out too quickly. He and Aleisa quickly mounted the horses and set off to her temporary home.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at the Kirk Manor a large rainstorm had come up. The siblings were sitting around in one of the rooms trying to pass the time. Lucy was looking out of the window, watching the rain on the window pane. Edmund was fiddling with something under a coffee table. Susan and Peter were playing some type of 'game'. It wasn't really a game, Susan would give Peter a word from a giant dictionary and he would guess what it meant. Rather boring really.

"Gas-tro-vascular." Susan called out. No one said anything.

"Come on Peter. Gastrovascular." Susan prodded. Peter let out a heavy sigh from his lounging position on the large chair opposite of Susan.

"Is it Latin?" he asked, masking his boredom.

"Yes." Susan replied.

"Is it Latin for worst game ever invented?" Edmund asked getting out from under the table. Peter huffed out a laugh and looked over at Susan with an amused smile. Susan was not amused. She glared at her brothers and slammed the giant book shut.

"We could play hide and seek." Lucy suggested. She walked over to Peter's chair and crossed her arms on the armrest. Peter looked up at her.

"But we're already having so much fun…." Peter sarcastically replied, sending a pointed glance at Susan. She glared at him. Lucy grabbed her brother's arm.

"Come on Peter, pleeeaassee." She begged while patting his arm. When he didn't budge she gave him her best sad puppy eyes. Peter couldn't resist those. He shook his head in defeat.

"One…two…three…" he started counting with a grin on his face. Lucy beamed with excitement.

"What?" Edmund groaned. Peter got up to lean on the wall and hide his face in the crook of his arm. Susan rolled her eyes but got up with a smile. This was better than her last game for sure. While Peter continued counting, the other three ran off to find somewhere to hide. Lucy ran out of the door and jogged over to the other side of the staircase. Edmund walked around one of the sitting rooms. He looked at a closet, there was no room. He moved on to behind a curtain, it didn't work either. So he set off to find another room. Susan ran into a hallway and noticed a large chest. She lifted up the lid and climbed inside, shutting the lid. Lucy and Edmund both ran up another flight of stairs. The came out at the same entryway. Lucy made her way to a large set of curtains. Just as she reached it Edmund shoved her out of the way.

"I was here first." He told her. She gave him an annoyed huff and started for another room. She ran to a new hallway. She tried the first door. It was locked. Second door….that was locked too. When she reached the third one it was open. She went in with a smile, but once she looked inside it dropped. The room was empty, except for something large covered in a sheet at the other end of the room. Closing the door behind her she made her way forward. The room was eerily quiet. Curious about what was under the sheet, she slowly made her way forward. When she reached the end, she gently tugged on the sheet. Once the corner fell, so did the rest of it. Underneath was a beautifully carved wardrobe. There were intricate carvings of trees and animals all around the edges of it. This would be the perfect hiding spot.

She reached for the handle and opened it up. Some mothballs fell out of it and rolled onto the floor. Taking a quick glance back she climbed inside. Left the door open just a crack. She could still faintly hear Peter's voice still counting. Smiling she slowly backed up so she could be hidden behind all of the heavy coats. As she kept backing up her smiled slowly fell. The closet didn't look this deep, so why was it taking so long to get to the back?

After another few steps she felt something cold and prickly on her hand and she jumped. Her face scrunched up in confusion. Lucy slowly turned her head around. As she did her eyes widened. Behind her was a snow covered forest. She looked at the frozen wonderland in awe. Glancing back at the closet door she decided to explore just a little bit. After all she was a curious little girl. She pushed her way through the pine trees and looked at the intricate beauty of the white forest. Holding her hand out she caught a snowflake. This was real snow!

Lucy continued to make her way through the forest when she came across something odd. A lit lamppost was in the middle of a small clearing. Lucy looked at it with confusion and walked toward it. Suddenly she heard a twig snap. She looked over and saw nothing. Then a shuffling of feet was heard. Lucy grew nervous. She kept turning her head toward the direction of the sound. As it got closer she attempted to hide behind the lamppost. Turning her head she saw a man appear out of the forest. She screamed…he screamed and they both hid. After a moment Lucy peeked her head out and looked at him. He looked at her from behind the tree and making eye contact hid again. Lucy slowly made her way towards him. The man kept peeking around and looking at her curiously. Looking at the ground Lucy noticed that he had dropped some packages. She bent down and picked one up.

"Ahhh…" the man muttered in slight protest. He slowly stepped away from the tree, still stuttering. He held out his shaking umbrella out in front of him for protection. Lucy stepped forward, reaching to hand him the package. He shuffled backwards. Looking at him closer Lucy noticed some oddities. He had…..hooves? And the lower half of his torso was like a goat. He also had tiny horns, animal ears, hairy arms and a long red scarf around his neck. Lucy also thought it was odd that he wasn't much taller than she was. What was he?

"Were you hiding from me?" Lucy softly asked looking up from his legs. He gently grabbed the package from her hand. The strange man began picking up the rest of his things while trying to mutter out an answer. He was obviously very flustered for some reason. Lucy watched him curiously.

"No…no…I..I..just…I..I….I just um….i didn't want to scare you." He finally told her, acting like he wasn't frightened at all. Lucy smiled and let out a quick laugh.

"If you don't mind my asking…what are you?" Lucy innocently asked. He squinted his eyes in confusion.

"Well I'm a…..I'm a faun." He answered as if it was obvious.

"And what about you? You must be some kind of beardless dwarf?" he asked.

"I'm not a dwarf! I'm a girl." The faun gave her a look she couldn't decipher. She began picking up more of his packages and spoke again.

"Actually I'm tallest in my class." She told him proudly. Lucy handed him the other packages. He looked at her in disbelief.

"You mean to say that you're a daughter of eve?" he asked eagerly.

"Well my mum's name is Helen…"

"Yes but….you are in fact….human…" he asked almost breathlessly.

"Yes of course." She told him thoroughly confused. The faun looked around nervously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well I was hiding in the wardrobe in the spare room…" she started before he cut her off.

"Spare Oom?...is that in Narnia?" he asked confused.

"Narnia? What's that?" Lucy asked with a smile. The faun scoffed in amusement.

"Well dear girl you're…you're in it." He told her with a chuckle.

"Everything from the lamppost all the way to Castle Paravail on the eastern ocean." He pointed out to her. "Every stick and stone you see, every…icicle…is Narnia." He told her. She looked over the vast landscape before her.

"It's an awfully big wardrobe….." She mumbled to herself.

"Wardrobe…" the faun laughed to himself. He then realized something.

"I'm sorry please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tumnus." He told her with a slight bow. Lucy beamed at him.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Tumnus. I'm Lucy Pevensie." She held her hand out for him to shake. Tumnas awkwardly smiled at her hand and looked back at her in confusion.

"Oh you shake it." She told him.

"Um….why?" he asked with a laugh. Lucy scrunched her brow in thought.

"I….I don't know." She said in realization. "People do it when they meet each other." She further explained. Mr. Tumnas raised his brow in confusion. He laughed in amusement again before grabbing her fingertips and shaking them side to side. Close enough. The two of them laughed at the odd gesture.

"Well then Lucy Pevensie, from the shining city of Wardrobe in the wondrous land of Spare Oom. How would it be if you came and had tea with me?" Mr. Tumnus asked with a smile. He raised up his umbrella above his head to block the snowflakes.

"Oh, thank you very much. But i…..I probably should be getting back." She said with a frown. The others should be looking for her by now.

"But it's just around the corner! And they'll be a glorious fire with…..with….toast and…and tea….and cakes." He almost desperately pleaded. "and perhaps we'll even break into the sardines." He told her and raised his eyebrows in an imploring manner.

"Well I don't know…." Lucy gave him a kind smile.

"OH come on…" he pleaded with a smile. "It's not every day that I get to make a new friend." He kindly told her.

"Well I suppose I could come for a little while." She agreed and joined him under the umbrella. The two of them headed off for his house while Tumnus looked around warily every few seconds.


	5. Chapter 5

The two new friends made their way through the snow down to a rock canyon. Lucy stopped and smiled at the little door and house that were carved into the rock wall. Mr. Tumnus turned back to her and smiled, gesturing for her to follow him inside. Tumnus opened the door for her and Lucy stepped inside smiling at the quaint house. Tumnas looked around suspiciously before stepping inside the house too. He walked in and shook the snow off of his furry legs before handing up his scarf and umbrella. Lucy wondered around the room. She set some packages that she had carried for him down by a table, and looked at the photo of another faun. She gingerly picked it up to look at it.

"Now that….that is my father." Tumnus told her with a fond smile.

"He has a nice face…..he looks a lot like you." Lucy told him while gazing at the picture. She didn't see Mr. Tumnus falter in his actions when he heard her say that, nor could she see his downcast expression.

"No….no I'm not very much like him at all really.." he muttered and put on a strong face.

"My father is fighting in a war." Lucy said sadly as she put the picture down. Tumnus looked back at her with an intrigued smile.

"My father went away to war too." He told her. She gave him an understanding smile.

"But that was a long time ago." He quickly dismissed. He grabbed some things and started pouring the tea. "Before this dreadful winter." He told her. Lucy wandered over to the bookshelf he had.

"Winters not all bad. There's ice skating, and snowball fights. Oh and Christmas." She added happily. Tumnus started walking over with the tea tray.

"Not here." He quietly told her. "No, no we haven't had a Christmas in a 100 years." He said while setting the tray down on the side table before taking a seat in one of the chairs by the fireplace.

"What? No presents for a 100 years?" Lucy asked with wide eyes. She sat down in the other chair by the fire.

"Always winter, never Christmas. It's been a long winter." He told her. He handed her a cup of tea.

"But you would have loved Narnia in summer. We fauns danced with the dryads all night. And you know we…we never got tired." He told her with a reminiscent smile on his face. Thinking of the happier days.

"And the music! OH….such music." He said with a wistful expression. Lucy smiled and took a sip of her tea as Tumnus watched her.

"Would…would you like to hear some now?" he carefully asked her. Lucy looked over at him and smiled.

"Oh, yes please." She told him. Tumnus grabbed a box from off the mantle. He pulled out a strange double ended flute.

"Now are you familiar with any Narnian lullabies?" he asked her. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry…no." He looked at her with a slight smile.

"Well that's good. Because this….probably won't sound anything like one." He told her as he adjusted the flute. He cleared his throat as Lucy continued sipping her tea. He began playing a low and relaxing tune that was mesmerizing. Lucy smiled at him and gazed into the fire. As she look into the flames she saw a fiery knight running around before vanishing. Lucy gasped and looked over at Mr. Tumnus in surprise. While still playing he nodded his head back to the fire. Lucy gazed back into the fire and watched the images of animals, riders, and dancing fauns flicker in the flames. The combination of this and the lulling music began to make her feel sleepy. She struggled to keep her head up and her eyes open. Mr. Tumnus watched her carefully as she became more and more mesmerized by the images. Lucy soon fell asleep and her cup of tea crashed onto the floor. Tumnus continued playing and looked into the fire. Suddenly a lion appeared in the flames and let out a loud roar. The faun stopped playing and clutched his flute in fear. The flames then extinguished, leaving the room in cold darkness.

After a few more minutes Lucy began to wake up. When she did, she noticed that all the candles and fire was out. The room was in complete darkness. She looked over to where Mr. Tumnus was last sitting. He wasn't there anymore. She looked over at a window and noticed that it had gotten late.

"Oh I should go.." she whispered to herself.

"It's too late for that now." A scared voice told her. Lucy turned her head and saw a cowering Mr. Tumnas on the stairwell.

"I'm such a terrible faun." He muttered brokenly. Lucy looked at him confused. What had made him saw that? She stood up and walked over to him.

"Oh no. You're the nicest faun I've ever met." She gently told him.

"Then I'm afraid you've had a very poor sampling." He said looking up at her with teary eyes. Lucy reached into her pocket and handed him her hanky.

"You can't have done anything that bad. Huh?" she comforted. Tumnus choked on a sob and dabbed at his eyes with the hanky.

"It's not something I have done Lucy Pevensie. It's something that I am doing." He told her with a wavering voice.

"What are you doing?" she asked him in confusion.

"I'm kidnapping you." He whispered and made eye contact. Lucy immediately stood and back away from him with a frightened look. Tumnas quickly tried to explain his motive.

"It's the White Witch. She's the one who made it always winter, always cold. She gave orders that if any of us found a human wondering in the woods..we..we were supposed to turn it over to her." he blubbered and looked at her pleadingly.

"But Mr. Tumnus you wouldn't." she said with a disbelieving smile. He didn't look at her in shame, and her smile dropped.

"I thought you were my friend…" she told him sadly. Hearing this Tumnus looked at her with a new determination. He was her friend.

Tumnus quickly dragged her out of the house and started moving as fast as they could back to the lamppost.

"Now, she may already know you're here. The woods are full of her spies." He frantically told her as they ran. Lucy was breathing hard and struggling to keep up.

"Even some of the trees are on her side" he continued. Lucy looked up nervously at he unmoving trees. They finally reached the lamppost and slid to a stop.

"Can you find your way back from here?" he asked her.

"I think so." She answered.

"Alright." He said. He slowly looked around them before looking at her with watery eyes. Lucy was concerned.

"Will you be alright?" she asked him. He let out a teary laugh at her question. She was in grave danger and she was worried about him. He stared crying again and dabbed the hanky to his eyes.

"Hey…hey…" Lucy cooed and put a hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered with sincerity. Lucy looked up at him. Tumnus reached down and handed her back her hanky. She slid her hand out and left it with him.

"Keep it. You need it more than I do." She joked but quickly stopped, realizing now wasn't the time. He chuckled again.

"No matter what happens Lucy Pevensie, I am glad to have met you. You've made me feel warmer thatn I have in 100 years." He told her seriously. They shared sad smiled before Tumnus snapped out of it.

"Now go….go!" he urged and watched as she dashed off.

Lucy threw open the wardrobe door and scrambled to her feet. The faint sound of Peter counting was echoing throughout the halls. Lucy opened the door and ran into the hallway.

"It's alright! I'm back! I'm alright!" she assured her siblings. Edmund poked his head out of his hiding spot.

"Shut up he's coming!" Edmund growled at her. She gave him an odd look. Peter looked over and saw the two of them in the hallway. He walked over with a confused expression. Edmund huffed in annoyance and glared at his sister.

"You know I'm not sure you two have quite got the idea of this game." Peter jokingly told them.

"Weren't you wondering where I was?" Lucy asked them bewildered at their calm demeanor.

"That's the point. That's why he was seeking you." Edmund told her like he was talking to a baby. Susan came jogging up to them.

"Does this mean I win?" she asked. Peter looked over at her.

"I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore…" Peter told Susan.

"I've been….gone for hours…." Lucy told them. Her siblings looked at her in confusion.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a day or so since Aleisa had arrived at her uncle's estate. When her grandfather had passed on Uncle Ross had decided to live in his manor, in order to keep it in the family. Maria, his wife, was a kind but highly sophisticated woman. Aleisa never quite understood how her carefree uncle ended up with someone like her, who was sometimes uptight, but they loved each other and were very happy. Her younger cousin Bethany took after her father in looks but had a bit of her mother's personality, nevertheless she was one of Aleisa's closest friends. On the first day of arrival, Aleisa had met the new addition to the family. Colin was only a few weeks old and easily stole the attention of the entire family.

On this particular morning Aleisa was in her room looking out the window overlooking the orchards behind the house. Bethany was too busy doing studies and her mother wouldn't let her be done early so she could spent time with Aleisa. This put quite a damper on her day. With a sigh she decided that maybe she should explore the house some. With it being so large surely there was something she could find to do. Walking out of her bedroom door she wandered over to the grand staircase in the center of the house. Looking up to the right of the stairs she just had a strange feeling that she should go up that direction. She couldn't explain it, but it was almost like she was being called. She walked up the stairs quietly and looked around at the doors. Nothing interesting, she had been in all these rooms before. She went to turn around, but something caught her eye. In the corner of the hallway there was an old door that she didn't remember seeing before. Walking closer she realized it was the one door that her grandfather had always kept locked. No one could ever find the key to it so it was never entered, but this time something was different. The door was cracked open just a bit.

She glanced around the hallway to see if someone else had opened it. They couldn't have. Maria and Bethany were on the other side of the house doing studies, Ross was out on business, and Colin couldn't even sit up yet. Aleisa chuckled at the thought of Colin opening doors. Despite the fact that no one else was around…..how did they get the door open? Curiosity got the best of her and she gently pushed open the door. The room was dimly lit from the sunlight shining in through the thin curtains. There was a collection of dusk all over the furniture and floating in the air from the sudden disturbance. The room was a large office with cabinets and bookshelves lining the walls. As she would expect, it looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. She closed the door behind her and slowly approached the desk in the center of the room. On it were some dusty pictures. She smiled when she found one of her mother and uncle as children, playing on the porch by their parents. She continued walking along the wall, looking at the titles of the old books that were on the shelves. Slowly spinning around she smiled at the different antique artifacts that lined the walls. Why didn't anyone know about all this?

Aleisa paused when she saw a large cloth covering something. Again she felt like she was being drawn to it. Letting curiosity get the best of her she pulled the sheet down and saw another door. She twisted the doorknob, and the door opened. The room was dark and she couldn't find a light anywhere in the room, or near the entrance of this new door. Unable to resist this new adventure she took a step inside. The room smelled almost like a forest. She thought that it was odd for a greenroom to be kept in the dark. Aleisa shivered. The room had suddenly become chilly and she didn't have a coat with her. Peeking back into the office room she noticed a single overcoat on a hook by the door. Curious….why would there be a coat rack all the way over here? Nevertheless she put the coat on and continued onward. Soon she could only see a sliver of light coming from the door behind her. Squinting in the dark she could see a source of light and….branches…at the end of the room. She made her way towards it. When she pushed through the branches she gasped. It was a wintery forest! In the backroom of her grandfather's office! But that was impossible! She looked up and sure enough there was a sky and snow falling from it. Where was she?!

"Aleisa?!" she turned around quickly and saw…Lucy? Lucy from the train was here….and with a goat…man….thing.

"Lucy?" she dark haired girl asked in shock? What was she doing here?


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy woke up after everyone was asleep and put on her rain boots. No one had believed that there was a forest in the back of the wardrobe. After she had told them of her adventure they went back to check…..but Narnia wasn't there anymore. Her siblings had dismissed it as her imagination and she was hurt that they didn't believe her. Peter and Edmund had a spat and that put everyone on a bad mood for the rest of the day.

After she had put on her boots she grabbed the lamp that was still burning on her nightstand. She put on an overcoat and silently made her way down the dark hallway. What she didn't know is that Edmund had come out of the bathroom and saw her walking down the hallway. He decided to follow her. Lucy made her way back to the spare room and walked up to the wardrobe. She reached for the door but paused. Maybe they were right. No, it was real. With determination she reached up and turned the handle. Narnia had to be there again…..it just had to. When the door had opened up a cold breezed from the back of it blew out the candle. Lucy smiled. Narnia was back. She eagerly climbed inside.

Shortly after she had climbed in Edmund walked into the room. Looking in he saw that it was empty.

"Lucy…" he quietly called out.

"Where are you?" he called again. He made his way cautiously toward the wardrobe. When he got there he flung the door open and shouted 'boo!' in an attempt to scare her. But she wasn't in there. With a confused expression he walked in…looking for her. What he didn't realize is that he would get the shock of his life.

After walking around a bit Lucy had luckily ran into Mr. Tumnas, who was surprised to see her again to say the least. He quickly suggested that he come home with her so she wouldn't be out in the open. The two of them chatted as they made their way to his house. Suddenly they heard a rustling coming from the trees up ahead. They panicked and quickly hid behind some boulders. Did the White Witch find them already?! Lucy heard a small gasp and peeked her head over the rock. She saw someone that she definitely did not expect to see again.

"Aleisa?!" she called out. Mr. Tumnas followed her as she made her way towards the girl. Aleisa whipped around with wide eyes.

"Lucy?" she tentatively asked. She was shocked to see the young girl here with her. Perhaps she was dreaming? Lucy's smile widened and she ran towards her new friend and latched on to her.

"Oh Aleisa! You're here too! This is wonderful!" Lucy exclaimed. Mr. Tumnas and Aleisa were awkwardly looking each other over. They weren't sure how they felt about this.

"Lucy…..where exactly is _here?"_ Aleisa asked as Lucy released her from the hug.

"We're in Narnia! But it's not always like this, the White Witch has been ruling and is simply awful…." Lucy rattled on but the fawn interrupted her.

"Lucy, perhaps we should get somewhere safer before you tell your sister about everything." He nervously glanced around.

"Oh I'm not her sister Mr?..." Aleisa trailed off, seeing as she didn't know his name. If he thought it was dangerous to be out in the open then she surely didn't want to be here. What had she gotten herself into?

"Tumnus." He supplied as he strangely shook her hand, as he had done with Lucy just a day ago. Aleisa decided not to comment on it, since that would be rude.

"Right…..so anywhere we can go to get out of the cold?" Aleisa hugged herself since it was much colder now that she was out of that room. The coat helped some, but not a lot.

"Of course, quickly follow me." Mr. Tumnus instructed, he was still glancing at the trees for any sign of trouble. The two girls followed after the faun.

After a while Lucy decided to make her way home and left Aleisa and Tumnus to talk a bit longer. On her way back she came across Edmund who was staring off down a path.

"Edmund?!" she called in surprised. Her brother whipped his head around towards her. She raced toward him.

"Oh Edmund you got in too! Isn't it wonderful?!" She gave him a hug around the waist. Edmund grunted in displeasure and shoved her off.

"Where have you been?" he asked her.

"With Mr. Tumnus. Oh and Aleisa that we met on the train is here too! You know the nice girl that Peter was all googly eyed over?" she giggled.

"He's fine. The White Witch didn't find out anything about him meeting me." Lucy happily explained to Edmund, who how had a guilty look on his face.

"The White Witch?" he asked. Lucy looked around and leaned in as if she were telling a secret.

"She calls herself the Queen of Narnia…but she really isn't." Lucy told him. Edmund looked uncomfortable with this new information. So he had just been talking with the White Witch…..she didn't seem all that bad.

"Are you alright? You look awful… Lucy asked seeing his troubled expression. Edmund quickly erased any previous emotion from his face.

"Well what did you expect?! I mean it's freezing. How do we get out of here?" he snapped, diverting the attention away from him. Lucy grabbed his hand and led him back to the wardrobe.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy burst into Peter's room where said boy was sleeping soundly. She turned on the light and jumped into his bed, bouncing up and down. Peter wasn't really in a good mood when he was woken up. He groaned in protest and rolled over to look at his excited little sister.

"Lucy what are you talking about?" he asked groggily, his eyes still closed. Edmund and Susan walked in to see what was going on.

"Narnia it's all in the wardrobe like I told you! And Aleisa from the train was there! Oh Peter she's such a lovely person!" Lucy excitedly chattered. Susan groaned and made her way over to the side of the bed.

"You were just dreaming Lucy." Susan softly scolded.

"Aleisa isn't even here so how could she be in your magical world if you get there through the wardrobe." Peter added. He wouldn't mind it if she were here tho….

"But I haven't! I saw Mr. Tumnas again, and this time Edmund went too!" she told them with a firm nod. Hearing this Edmund froze as they all turned towards him.

"You….you saw the faun?" Peter asked him. They all looked at him expectantly. Edmund shook his head in denial.

"Well….he didn't actually go there with me. He…..what were you doing Edmund?" Lucy asked. It just dawned on her that she didn't even know why he was there. The older siblings looked at him in question. Maybe there was something to all of this after all. Edmund didn't want to be part of this so he decided to lie.

"I was just playing along." He told them with a 'my bad' expression. Lucy looked back at Peter with a pleading expression.

"I'm sorry Peter. I shouldn't have encouraged her. You know how little kids are. They just don't know when to stop pretending." Edmund taunted with a smug expression. Lucy quickly broke into a fit of tears. That had hurt a lot. She covered her mouth and ran out of the room sobbing. Susan and Peter huffed in agitation and chased after her. As they ran off Peter gave Edmund a good shove onto the bed.

Lucy ran blindly around the house. Suddenly she bumped into a large figure and looked up. An odd yet gentle looking old man looked down at her in sympathy. She started crying and latched onto him seeking some comfort. The older two ran in to find a crying Lucy hugging a bewildered professor.

"You children are one shenanigan shy of sleeping in the stables…." An angry Mrs. McCready shouted. She trailed off as she looked to see the professor standing there. He gave her a questioning look.

"Professor…I'm sorry, I told them you were not to be disturbed." She told him, covering up for her previous threat.

"It's quite alright Mrs. McCready I'm sure there's an explanation." He kindly told his housekeeper. Lucy looked up at him in shock. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and guided her towards the housekeeper.

"But first Mrs. McCready I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate." He told her. Mrs. McCready promptly ushered Lucy down to the kitchen. Peter and Susan tried to make a quiet exit but they were unable to. The professor coughed and they turned around slowly, knowing they were caught.

Professor Kirk brought Susan and Peter into his study so they could discuss the problem at hand. The two of them were standing quietly in front of his desk. The professor filled his pipe with tobacco before speaking.

"You've seemed to upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper." He casually commented.

"We're very sorry sir, it won't happen again." Peter apologized and grabbed Susan's arm so they could leave. But she had other ideas.

"It's our sister sir. Lucy." She continued, yanking out of Peter's grip. The Professor looked up from his pipe.

"The weeping girl." He added and went back to working on his pipe.

"Yes sir. She's upset." She softly told him. Peter was standing behind her silently begging for her to shut up so they could leave.

"Hence the weeping."

"I…It's nothing. We can handle it." Peter quickly piped up and gave Susan a pointed look.

"Oh, I can see that." Professor Kirk sarcastically agreed without looking up. Peter looked down, knowing he was right.

"She thinks she's found a magical land, in the upstairs wardrobe." Susan explained. This got the professor's attention. His eyes quickly lit up and he looked at her excitedly.

"What did you say?" he asked her intrigued. The professor lead them over to the sofa off to the side.

"The wardrobe upstairs. Lucy thinks she's found a forest inside." Peter explained.

"She won't stop going on about it." Susan said in exasperation. Thankful that someone could see their point of view. The professor sat down, never looking away from them.

"What was it like?!" he eagerly asked looking at the two of them.

"Like talking to a loonatic!" Susan exclaimed.

"No, no, no. Not her the forest." Professor Kirk corrected seriously. The siblings gave him odd looks. He didn't really believe this nonsense did he?

"You're not saying you believe her." Peter asked incredulously.

"You don't?" Kirk asked confused.

"Of course not. I mean logically it's impossible…" Susan told him.

"What do they teach at schools these days?..." The professor looked down disappointed at their lack of imagination and adventure.

"Edmund said they were only pretending." Peter amended.

"And he's usually the more truthful one now isn't he?" Professor Kirk asked. It was almost like he already knew the answer to that.

"No…this would be the first time…" Peter admitted.

"Well if she's not mad and she's not lying then _logically_ ….she's telling the truth." He explained, putting emphasis on logic for Susan. He lit his pipe.

"You're saying that we should just believe her?" Peter asked with fake acceptance. They thought the professor was mad.

"She's your sister isn't she? You're a family. You might just try acting like one." The professor told them. Peter and Susan looked at each other. He had a point.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day the Pevensies decided to take advantage of the sunshine and were outside playing cricket. Peter was pitching, Edmund at bat, and Susan was behind him as the catcher.

"Peter with the windup and he sends another wicket." Peter narrated as he threw the ball. It hit Edmund in the side.

"Ow!" Edmund explained. He had been staring off at the house, obviously lost in thought about something.

"Woops….wake up dolly daydream." Peter laughed. Susan threw the ball back to Peter. Lucy was off to the side reading a book. She still wasn't in the mood to interact with her siblings after the events of last night.

"Why can't we go inside and play hide and seek again?" Edmund asked.

"I thought you said it was a kid's game." Peter countered. Edmund rolled his eyes and got in position to bat.

"Besides….we could all use the fresh air." Susan added, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's not like there isn't air inside." Edmund grumbled. Susan frowned not understanding what his problem was.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked, looking down at the ball.

"Are you?" Edmund challenged. Peter did his windup and threw another ball. Edmund got a solid hit on this one and sent it through an upstairs window. They all gasped in shock as they heard the echoing of other things crashing. They all quickly rushed inside and stood staring gravely at the suit of armor they was lying on the floor next to the cricket ball. They were done for. Peter was fuming and glared at the window before turning on his brother.

"Well done Ed." He sarcastically praised with a glare.

"You bowled it!" Edmund countered. Suddenly they heard the shouts of the now angry housekeeper. Their eyes widened in panick.

"The McCready!" Susan said in alarm.

"Come on!" Peter suggested and rushed out of the room, his siblings following. They ran down one set of hallways and Edmund paused. The footsteps were headed their way.

"Go back, back!" he instructed and they headed the other direction. They ran around another set of hallways. Susan put her hand on one of the doors but stopped hearing a set of footsteps coming towards them. She looked back in shock. How did McCready get around that fast?! They quickly sprinted in a different direction. Soon they stopped hearing the footsteps again. Peter gave them an exasperated expression. How was the woman all over the place?! They ran down the hallway and came to a door that Lucy was very familiar with. Unlike the other doors, it was unlocked so they ran inside. Edmund was the first to bolt in. They shut the door behind them and Edmund made his way to the wardrobe. Peter and Susan stopped in disbelief. Edmund opened up the door and gestured for them to get in.

"Come on!" he told them when they didn't move.

"You've got to be joking." Susan growled. As she did they heard footsteps again and made a dash for it anyway. They didn't have a choice now. They quickly climbed in and Peter got in last, closing the door but left it open just a crack so he could see the door. The footsteps gradually got louder.

"Get back!" he whispered and the siblings backed their way to the back of the wardrobe. Of course with all of them crammed in there…..it caused some problems.

"Get off my toe!"

"I'm not on your toe!"

"Ow!"

"Stop shoving!"

"Get off!''

"Move!"

"OWWWW!" the four of them pushed their way back and pushed each other for more room. This distracted them from the change of scenery behind them. Soon enough they made it through and Peter and Susan were knocked backwards. The ground was cold and soft. There were trees around them? They both slowly looked behind them and their jaws dropped in shock. Lucy was telling the truth.


	10. Chapter 10

Susan and Peter quickly scrambled up and looked around the wintery forest in shock.

"Impossible…." Susan muttered in amazement. Lucy walked out from behind them.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's just your imagination." Lucy joked. The older two immediately felt horrible. They had basically been calling her a liar when she really wasn't. The professor was right.

"I don't suppose saying we're sorry would quite cover it." Peter sheepishly smiled at his sister. Lucy took a step forward with her hands behind her back.

"No….it wouldn't…" she slowly said. Peter gave her a sorry look…until Lucy threw a snowball at his face. He was slightly knocked off balance and off guard.

"But that might!" Lucy happily exclaimed before running off to make more. Peter smiled in shock and laughed. He was glad that all was forgiven. Peter and Susan quickly bent down and started making snowballs too. They started pelting each other and laughing. Meanwhile Edmund watched them with a thoughtful expression before turning to look at where the White Witch had told him to go. Susan threw a snowball at him and he shouted in pain.

"OW….stop it." He snapped and everyone paused their game. Peter looked at him in anger. He had lied about being here and hurt Lucy's feelings on purpose.

"You little liar…." Peter accused.

"You didn't believe her either!" Edmund countered.

"Apologize to Lucy." Peter told him. Edmund just glanced at her and said nothing.

"Say you're sorry!" Peter growled and took a step forward. Edmund flinched back.

"Alright!...I'm sorry." He said halfheartedly and glared at Peter.

"That's alright. Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending." Lucy fired back with attitude. Edmund glared and mumbled, mocking her.

"Very funny…" he whispered sarcastically.

"Maybe we should go back." Susan suggested, becoming nervous about all of this.

"Shouldn't we at least take a look around?" Edmund quickly suggested. Peter gave him an odd look.

"I think Lucy should decide what we do." Peter said with a smile at his littlest sister. Lucy smiled broadly. She immediately knew what she wanted to do.

"I'd like you all to meet Mr. Tumnus!" she excitedly suggested, looking at all of them.

"Well then Mr. Tumnus it is." Peter smiled. He walked back into the trees to grab some of the coats. It was still winter and therefore cold outside. Susan wanted to protest.

"But we can't go hiking in the snow, dressed like this." She argued, unaware that Peter was way ahead of her. He popped out from behind her with 3 large brown fur coats and one grey and black fur coat.

"No, but I don't think the professor would mind us using these. Anyways, if you think about it _logically_ …we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." Peter told her as he passed out the coats. Susan glared at him for his little jab at her logic usage. Peter handed Edmund the grey coat.

"But that's a girl's coat!" He protested in disgust.

"I know." Peter said without batting an eye. Edmund glared and took the coat four of them trudged through the snow with Lucy I the lead, talking animatedly the whole way. As they went along the older sibling began enjoying themselves almost as much as Lucy was. Edmund however was still in a grouchy mood. Lucy lead them around the bend toward Mr. Tumnus' house.

"We'll have lots of tea and lots of…." Lucy stopped dead in her tracks, her previously ecstatic mood was quickly forgotten. She stared wide eyed at the broken door in front of her.

"Lu?" Peter gently asked from behind her. Without a word Lucy sprinted forward.

"Lucy?!" her siblings called chasing after her. The door had been broken down and was now halfway laying across the threshold. Some snow had blown into the now empty house. Lucy walked inside looking sadly at the shredded inside of the house. The rest of the Pevensies followed her inside. They looked confusedly around at the once lovely home. They inside had been torn apart and the furniture was thrown all over the place. Books were in shreds and vases shattered. They all slowly walked around the ransacked home with sorrowful faces.

"Who would do something like this?" Lucy sadly mumbled. She looked down at the shattered tea cups that they had once used. Edmund stepped on a piece of glass and looked down. It was a picture of a faun and there were scratch marks across the surface of it. Peter noticed a note pinned on the column in the middle of the room. He ripped it off and read it aloud.

"The faun Tumnus, is hereby charged with high treason. Against her imperial majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia. For comforting her enemies and fraternizing with humans. Signed Morgrim, captain of the secret police. Long live the Queen." The note was signed with a dog's paw print on the side. Peter handed it to Susan with an anxious expression. Something wasn't right.

"Alright, now we really should go back." Susan insisted.

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked her sister. They couldn't just leave him and do nothing.

"He was arrested just for being with a human. I don't think there's much we can do." Susan gently told her. Lucy looked distraught.

"You don't understand do you? I'm the human. She must have found out she helped me." Lucy explained. Edmund's eyes widened and he looked away in thought. Was this his fault? He was the one that mentioned him to the queen.

"Maybe we can call the police." Peter suggested.

"These are the police." Susan countered with a 'duh' expression. Peter turned to Lucy.

"Don't worry Lu….we'll think of something." He earnestly told her.

"Why?" Edmund spoke up. All eyes turned to him.

"I mean he's a criminal." He continued. Just then the Pevensies heard a 'psstt' noise from outside. They turned their heads toward the noise. There was a single bird on a branch outside the door.

"Did that bird just 'pssstt' us?" Susan turned to her siblings and asked them. Surely she was just hearing things. No one answered and Peter made his way outside the door. The walked toward the bird who supposedly talked to them but it flew away. They all turned to watch it with confused expressions. Then they heard a rustling from the bushes over to the side. Peter gently pushed his siblings behind him and stood at the front ready to protect them from whatever danger would happen. There was another 'psstt' noise and the rustling got louder and then a beaver hopped around the boulder and looked up at them. The Pevensies visibly relaxed.

"It….it's a beaver…." Lucy said in shock. This was bizarre. Peter took a step forward, knelt down and held his hand out to the beaver.

"Here boy." He called to it like you would a pet and made clicking noises. He slowly inched his way closer to the creature. The beaver stood up on its hind feet, looked down at Peter's hand, then back up at his face.

"Well I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want." The beaver suddenly spoke with a slight accent. Susan's eyes practically doubled in size. Peter looked down in embarrassment and stood up straight beside his siblings.

"Oh…..sorry." he apologized, not sure what else to say to that. Lucy giggled a little behind him.

"Lucy Pevensie." The beaver asked. The girl in question dropped her smile and looked down at what the beaver was holding out to her.

"Yes?" she timidly asked. As she walked closer she recognized the object and took a step forward with a frown.

"That's the hanky that I gave…..Mr. Tumnas…" she realized with a sad expression.

"He gave it to me just before they took him. And your friend is safe with me also. She wasn't able to make it home before they came." Mr. Beaver explained to her. Lucy looked up at him in shock.

"Aleisa is still here?" she asked wide eyed. Peter's eyes snapped to Lucy, so Aleisa really was in Narnia too. But how?

"Is Mr. Tumnus alright?" Lucy asked worriedly. Beaver looked around nervously.

"Further in." He whispered and nodded his head for them to follow. Lucy and Peter immediately followed. Susan grabbed them.

"What are you doing?!" Susan exclaimed.

"She's right. How do we know we can trust him?" Edmund piped up beside Susan. Peter thought for a moment and looked at Lucy. He shrugged his shoulders.

"He said he knows the faun." Peter answered. Susan tilted her head in a 'oh of course' manner.

"He's a beaver….he shouldn't be saying anything!" she countered. Beaver popped his head up from behind the rocks, noticing they didn't follow.

"Everything alright?" he asked. Peter quickly turned to face him.

"Yes, we were just talking." Peter told him.

"That's better left for safer quarters." Beaver whispered and disappeared again.

"He means the trees." Lucy told them while looking around suspiciously. The siblings heavily sighed and Peter started after the beaver. His siblings grudgingly followed.


	11. Chapter 11

The Pevensies followed Mr. Beaver through the snow covered canyon to a very beautiful dam. They could see the lights on and smoke coming out of the chimney. It almost looked like a log cabin in the middle of a winter wonderland.

"Oh blimey, looks like the old girl has got the kettle on. A cup of Rosie lee." Beaver commented as he gestured to his home.

"It's lovely!" Lucy kindly told him.

"Oh it's not done yet. Still have stuff to do." Beaver told her. As they all approached it a figure came out of the house.

"Beaver is that you? I've been worried sick! If I find you've been out with Badger again I'll…" a feminine voice called out with a similar accent to Mr. Beaver. She let out a small gasp of excitement when she say the Pevensies trailing behind him.

"Oh…oh those aren't Badgers…. I never thought I'd live to see this day." She happily exclaimed with a slight clap of her hands. The siblings smiled kindly down at her.

"Look at my fur, you couldn't have given me a ten minute warning." She harshly whispered to her husband.

"I'd have given you a week if I thought it would help." He chuckled and shook his head lovingly. The Pevensies let out a slight chuckle.

"Oh dearie come outside. I think we have some familiar faces for you!" Mrs. Beaver called to someone inside the dam. The Pevensies looked toward the door in anticipation as taller figure opened up the door and cautiously looked at the group.

"Lucy!" Aleisa exclaimed. She was relieved that she had gotten away fine. Looking closer at the people with her, Aleisa's eyes widened.

"Oh...Hello again…" she politely nodded her head to the rest of the siblings. Peter looked at her for a moment. He got that funny feeling back again just from seeing her again. He stepped forward.

"Aleisa? How did you get here?" he curiously asked. She didn't go through the wardrobe with them.

"Oh….there was a secret room in my Uncle's house. Perhaps we should get inside?" she suggested. With all the recent events she was still wary about being outside of the dam where people could see them.

"Yes come inside, and we'll see if we can't get you some food. And some civilized company." Mrs. Beaver agree and directed the last part at her husband. He just chuckled and pointed his thumb at her back in a 'she's such a kidder' type of action. The Pevensies smiled and followed Aleisa inside.

"Now careful, watch your step." She warned them gently. Edmund delayed walking into the dam. He looked over again at the two mountains where the Witch's castle sat in between the two. Beaver followed his line of sight.

"Enjoying the scenery are we?" Beaver suspiciously asked him. Edmund shook his head and entered the dam.

The five of them all had to crouch down just a little when they walked into the door. Inside the dam there was a higher ceiling but the three oldest still had to bend their heads some. The beavers motioned for them to have a seat. Aleisa and Peter headed in the same direction but with the lack of space, they bumped into each other. The two of them blushed and sputtered out apologies. They tried moving the other direction and they both stepped to the same side again. They looked at each other and chuckled. Peter being the gentleman, held his hand out for Aleisa to sit down first. She gave him a smile that sent his heart into a rapid rhythm. Aleisa took the seat at the table next to Susan, and Peter pulled up a chair on the other side of her. Aleisa tried to contain a blush when he did so. She mentally shook herself out of it. This was no time to think about cute boys, they were in a very serious situation which required her full attention. They sat around the beaver's table. Aleisa sat between Peter and Susan, Edmund on the steps and Lucy on the other side of Peter.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" Peter questioned once everyone had been settled and warmed up.

"Well they've taking him to the Witch's castle. And you know what they say about that place. There's few that go through them gates that come out again." Beaver gravely told them.

"Fish and chips" Mrs. Beaver butted in giving her husband a pointed look. Lucy looked down at the literal whole fish and some type of chip. She decided not to take any and looked down sadly at the news of Mr. Tumnas

"But there is hope dear." Mrs. Beaver consoled, laying a paw on her shoulder. "Lots of hope." She added, looking to her husband. He spit out his drink back into his cup.

"OH! Yea there a quite bit more than hope!…. Alsan is on the move." Mr. Beaver said animatedly before dropping to a low and serious tone. Each of the children looked at him with blank expressions, obviously it was someone important but they honestly had no idea who he was. Edmund was the one who spoke up.

"Who's Alsan?" he curiously asked from his spot behind them all. Beaver started laughing.

"Who's Alsan…..who's…oh you cheeky little blighter…" he responded through his chuckles. His wife looked around the room and saw that no one else was laughing. They really didn't know who they were talking about. She harshly nudged him as he was trying to muffle the laugh. He stopped and looked at his wife.

"What?" he asked. He looked at all the confused faces and came to a realization.

"You don't know…do ya?" he asked in shock.

"Well we haven't exactly been here very long…" Peter stated in a 'duh' tone.

"He's only the most important person in the whole Wood. The top geezer. The real king of Narnia!" Mr. Beaver explained. Edmund gave him an odd look and sat back down on the stairs from where he had walked over asking about Aslan.

"He's been away for a long while." Mrs. Beaver continued.

"But he's just got back! And he's waiting for you near the stone table!" Beaver exclaimed, still not picking up that they didn't know anything about this. Peter and Aleisa looked at each other in mix of shock and confusion.

"He's waiting for us?" Lucy questioned.

"You're bloomin joking!...They don't even know about the prophecy!" he explained to his wife while waving at them with his hands in exasperation.

"Well then, dear…" She prompted. Someone had to be the one to tell them. Beaver sighed in resolve.

"Look…. Aslan's return, Tumnus' arrest, the secret police. It's all happening because of you!" Beaver told them. Aleisa felt a bit offended. They hadn't even been here long.

"You're blaming us?" she quickly questioned. Mrs. Beaver swiftly waved her hands in protest.

"No, not blaming, thanking you…" she corrected with a small smile.

"There's a prophecy…

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone,

Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,

The evil time will be over and done." Mr. Beaver told them and finished with a fist to his hand.

"That doesn't exactly rhyme." Susan pointed out, her logical side taking over.

"That's not quite the point." Aleisa told her. She couldn't help but think…Really Susan? You're in a magical land with talking animals and prophecies, yet the part you focus on is that the poem didn't rhyme. Aleisa was beginning to piece together what the Beavers were telling them. Mrs. Beaver decided to take over the explanation.

"It has long been foretold that 2 sons of Adam, and 3 daughters of Eve will defeat the White Witch and restore peace to Narnia." Mrs. Beaver explained, and pointed at them while she did. After ending she set her hands on her husband's shoulders with a happy sigh. They had been waiting a while for this day. Now all the Pevensies finally understood.

"And you think we're the ones?" Peter nervously asked. He glanced around at his siblings and gave the Beavers an incredulous look.

"Well you'd better be, cause Alsan is already fitting out your army!" Mr. Beaver frantically exclaimed.

"Our army?!" Lucy asked. Susan nudged Peter gently. He turned to look at her.

"Mum sent us away so we wouldn't get caught up in a war." She sternly told him. Peter looked reluctant and looked back at the Beavers.

"I think you've made a mistake…..we're not heroes!" Peter protested.

"We're from Finchley." Susan told them, as if they would know what that was. The beavers looked to each other in heartbreak at what they were implying. They were going to leave them.

"Thank you for your hospitality. But we really have to go." Susan told them and stood up.

"But…you can't just leave." Beaver protested. Peter stood up too.

"He's right we have to help Mr. Tumnus." Lucy told her siblings.

"I agree, we can't just abandon them! My father always taught me to do the right thing, no matter who you are or how impossible it seems. I think this is the right thing to do." Aleisa insisted. She looked up at the older two Pevensies. Peter's face softened, but he quickly shook it off.

"It's out of our hands." Peter sternly told her. He looked back over at the beavers.

"I'm sorry but it's time the four of us be getting home." He politely told them.

"Ed?" Peter called looking back to where his brother was. Except Edmund wasn't there anymore. Peter and Susan's face dropped.

"Ed?..." he asked again. They looked around the room and saw that the door was left ajar. Peter turned towards Susan.

"I'll kill 'em." Peter all but growled. His brother never seemed to just do what he was supposed to.

"You may not have to. Has Edmund ever been in Narnia before?" Mr. Beaver gravely asked them.


	12. Chapter 12

They beavers, Pevensies, and Aleisa all frantically made their way towards the Witch's castle. When they reached to hillside they saw a silhouette of a boy walking into the open doors of the icy fortress. They stared at the castle in shock, it looked so….evil and dark.

"Edmund!" Lucy yelled, trying to stop her brother. Beaver quickly shushed her.

"Shhhh! They'll hear you!" Peter lunged forward to go get him. In an instant Beaver and Aleisa ran forward and grabbed him.

"No!" Beaver yelled.

"Get off me!" Peter shouted as he struggled to get free. He had to save his brother.

"You're playing into her hands!" Beaver frantically told them.

"We can't just let him go." Susan exclaimed.

"He's our brother!" Lucy added.

"He's the bait!" Aleisa frantically told him. Peter stopped struggling and looked at her questioningly.

"The witch wants all four of ya!" Beaver added to her statement.

"Why?" Peter asked, obviously upset.

"To stop the prophecy from coming true….to kill us." Aleisa told him with pleading eyes. He whipped his head toward her, realizing she was right. That was the only logical conclusion, especially if she was as bad as they had said. Aleisa just happened to have a level head during tense situations, so she had thought it out quicker than they did.

He let out a distraught sigh and looked back at the castle. They watched as Edmund walked into the castle with the doors shutting behind him. Aleisa looked up at him sorrowfully and placed her hand on his shoulder in comfort. He sent her a sad smile and squeezed her hand. She blushed furiously, not realizing that she had done that. It was an instinct.

"This is all your fault." Susan accused her older brother, effectively killing the moment. Peter immediately got defensive. How was he supposed to prevent any of this?

"My fault?!" he turned and looked at her wide eyed. Aleisa had turned also. She was growing angry at the thought of Susan accusing her brother for something he couldn't control.

"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!" Susan screamed at him. Aleisa's temper then got the best of her. Peter was not to blame here. Lucy watched wide eyed as the older three argued loudly.

"So you knew this would happen?!" Aleisa angrily challenged. Susan didn't know everything and Alesia wanted to make sure she knew that. Susan was caught off guard by the sudden outburst and softened her tone.

"I didn't know what would happen." She amended, not admitting she was wrong. However she quickly gained back her angry rant and looked at her brother.

"We should have left while we still could!" Susan continued.

"Stop it!" Lucy shouted. The older 3 all looked to her. "This isn't going to help Edmund." She softy reminded them.

"She's right. Only Aslan can help your brother now." Beaver sadly explained. Peter with a now determined face turned back to Beaver.

"Take us to him." He instructed. Aleisa slowly let a proud smile onto her face. This authoritative and protective side of Peter was something she liked to see. And it was attractive….not that she would say that out loud. She thought back about how she quickly rose to his defense…..it seemed natural, yet she had only known him for a few hours. Strange…

Inside the frigid castle Edmund had made his way through room full of statues. He was tackled by a wolf but once he explained that he was human, the wolf led him into the throne room. As he was waiting, he slowly climbed the stairs and sad down on the fur covered ice throne. He smiled a little at the feeling. He felt powerful and important for once.

"Like it." A cold voice said from beside him. The sudden entry made him jump as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He quickly stood up.

"I…uh…yes, your Majesty." He nervously sputtered out. The way she carried herself and the constant look of hatred she wore made him feel nervous being around her.

"I thought you might." She told him. Without breaking eye contact she sat down on her throne and looked him over.

"Tell me Edmund….are your sisters deaf?" She asked with a scowl.

"No." Edmund told her with a confused smile. Why would his sisters matter to her?

"And your brother, is he…unintelligent?" she calmly asked him.

"Well I think he is…"

"THEN HOW DARE YOU COME ALONE!" she shouted and abruptly stood up. Edmund looked at her with frightened wide eyes. She wasn't as kind and calm as when he first met her. What had happened? He stepped down a few steps cowering from her.

"I tried." He stuttered out.

"Edmund I ask so little of you." She harshly told him, walking towards him.

"They…they just don't listen to me." He protested.

"Couldn't even do that" she continued with disappointment.

"Well I did bring them halfway. There at the little house….or the dam with the beavers." He quickly told her, hoping to redeem himself. This made her pause and look at him with new interest. She thought for a moment.

"Well….I suppose you're not a total loss then. Are you." She told him icily. She turned to walk back to her throne and Edmund spoke up.

"Um….I was wondering." He quietly stuttered. She turned to look at him.

"Could I…maybe…have some more Turkish Delight now?" he sheepishly asked her. She raised her eyebrows and turned to her dwarf henchman.

"Our guest is hungry." She mysteriously told him, with an evil gleam in her eye. The dwarf smiled and walked toward the boy.

"This way." The dwarf pointed. "For your num nums." He finished and pulled out his long dagger, holding it to Edmund's back.

"Morgrim?" the queen called. Edmund and the dwarf paused, looking at them.

"You know what to do." She told the wolf. Morgrim bowed his head and howled, calling the rest of the secret police. As more wolves appeared Edmund's eyes widened. What had he done?!


	13. Chapter 13

The children and Beaver all scrambled into the dam. The wolves were already on their way.

"Hurry love, they're after us." Beaver frantically told his wife. She immediately stood up and started collecting food and other things into a basket.

"What is she doing?!" Aleisa asked Beaver, wondering how she could pack at a time like this. Beaver just looked up at her raising his hands and shaking his head in an 'who knows' manner.

"You'll be thanking me later. It's going to be a long journey and Beaver tends to be very cranky when he's hungry." She told them while balancing loaves of bread in her arms. Susan rushed into action and started to help her pack.

"I'm cranky now!" Beaver exclaimed. Why does she choose to do this now?

Outside of the dam, the wolf pack looked down at the house. Morgrim looked at them.

"Take them." He ordered in a gravelly voice. The wolves looked to each other and started down the hill to dig them out.

"Do you think we'll need jam?" Susan asked as she packed the supplies.

"Only if the queen serves toast." Peter retorted in a panicky voice. Had it not been in a life or death setting, Aleisa would have laughed at his comment. Susan gave him a 'you're not helping' look. The jumped as they heard the sounds of barking and growling right outside the house. The wolves were circling and starting to break the dam apart. They people inside let out panicked noises as they saw dust falling from the sticks being scratched at. Before long the wolves will be inside. After a few more moments the pack broke through and they all clambered inside. Looking around they saw that the dam was empty. One of them started pawing at a cabinet door and pried it open. They looked inside and saw a rope leading down to a tunnel underneath them.

The group was sprinting through the underground tunnel. The beavers were leading and Aleisa had taken Lucy's hand in the back.

"Badger and me dug this, comes out right near his place." Beaver told them. Peter was up at the front holding a torch so they could see in the dark tunnel.

"You told me it led to your mums!" Mrs. Beaver commented in surprise. Lucy tripped on a root and everyone turned to her. In the silence they heard the sound of howling and running paws nearby. They froze.

"They're in the tunnel." Lucy whispered with a terrified expression. Aleisa and Susan looked at each other before quickly picking her up on either side and sprinting to the end of the tunnel. Winding their way they continued following the beavers through all the different passageways. They came to a dead end.

"You should have brought a map!" Mrs. Beaver exclaimed. Beaver looked back at her.

"There wasn't room next to the jam." He told her before leaping up to the hole above them. Mrs. Beaver followed and so did Susan. Peter hung back to make sure everyone went up before him. Aleisa scrambled up first and reached down to help Lucy. Peter lifted his little sister up and she grabbed Aleisa's hand above. Once Lucy was safe Aleisa reached her hand down to Peter.

"Come on!" she urged. Peter grabbed her hand and scrambled up with her help. Once he was up he assisted Beaver in moving a large barrel on top of the hole. Lucy was walking backwards and tripped over a collection of statues. Once Peter was out he helped Beaver move a heavy barrel over the entrance of the tunnel. Beaver sighed in relief and turned around. His smiled dropped. Everyone turned toward where Lucy had fallen and stared at all the frozen animal statues. Beaver slowly walked over toward a large badger statue in sorrow. Mrs. Beaver put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry dear." She murmured. Aleisa and the Pevensies watched them with sad expressions.

"He was my best mate." Beaver whispered heartbrokenly. The children behind them looked around at all the animal statues in front of the houses in the small town they were in.

"What happened here?" Peter asked. Before Beaver answered, another voice piped up.

"This is what becomes of those who cross the Witch." A small red fox said from atop a roof. Beaver started growling and struggled to get to the fox, but his wife held him back.

"Take one step traitor and I'll chew you to splinters" Beaver threatened. The fox jumped down with a chuckle.

"Relax, I'm one of the good guys." The fox assured them.

"Yea? Well you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones." Beaver challenged. The fox sighed.

"An unfortunate family resemblance." He told them. Peter had nudged Susan and Lucy behind him, and held Aleisa tightly by the shoulder in a protective stance.

"We can argue breeding later. Right now we've got to move." The fox earnestly told them. They could now hear the wolves scratching and trying to dig around the barrel at the exit of the tunnel.

"What did you have in mind?" Peter asked the fox. At this point they had no choice but to trust him.


	14. Chapter 14

The wolves finally were able to push away the barrel and raced out of the tunnel. In the middle of the clearing they found the fox sweeping the snow with his tail.

"Greetings gents." The fox causally greeted. The wolves circled him, but he was clever and kept watching Morgrim while in the crouch position.

"Lost something have we?" the fox continued.

"Don't patronize me! I know where your allegiance lies. We're looking for some humans." Morgrim told him in his gravelly voice. Up in the tree above them, the fugitive group was hiding on the branches.

"Human's here in Narnia? That's a valuable bit of information now, don't you think." The fox retorted. Peter looked at the girls beside him nervously. Suddenly a wolf grabbed the fox on the back from behind. He whimpered at the pain of the teeth digging into him. Up above Lucy almost gasped, but Peter quickly covered up her mouth. They had to be silent. Beaver was being silenced by his wife beside him.

"Your reward is your life. It's not much…..but still." Morgrim threatened. Aleisa looked down at the scene below with wide eyes. Now was the moment of truth…..was the fox on their side or not?

"Where are the fugitives?" Morgrim asked again. The fox stared at him with hate before letting out a pained sigh.

"North…..they ran north" he finally told them. Morgrim turned toward his group.

"Smell them out." he ordered. The wolf holding the fox harshly threw him aside and took off. The fox let out a pained grunt and laid still in the snow. The ones in the tree all looked down at him sadly, not sure if he was alright or not.

After the wolves had left, they all climbed down from the tree. Peter helped them all down since he was the tallest. When Aleisa was close he grabbed her waist and gently set her down. She smiled up at him.

"Thanks." She told him. Peter nodded his head to her. They made their way over to the rest of the group and made a fire. Once they had gathered around the good sized fire, Mrs. Beaver began stitching up the fox. He was alive, but still a bit worse for wear.

"They were helping Tumnas. The Witch got here before I did." The fox explained to them.

"Ow!" he whimpered as Mrs. Beaver worked on him. Peter watched them carefully while holding his piece of bread. Aleisa was over helping Mrs. Beaver mend the fox, since she had some knowledge of first aid. He stared at her from across the fire. The low light brought somehow brought out the brightness of her eyes and the gentleness of her face. He still couldn't shake the warm feeling he had when he was around her.

"Are you alright?" Lucy quietly asked the fox as he continued to grunt and groan in pain.

"Well I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite. OW!" he flinched away from the hands that were mending him.

"Stop that, you'll tear the stitching." Aleisa kindly scolded him.

"You're worse than Beaver on bath day." Mrs. Beaver added.

"Worst day of the year." Beaver mumbled to the other three children beside him. They let out an amused smile. The fox got up after a few more stitchings.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid that's all the cure I have time for." He informed them.

"You're leaving?" Aleisa asked him. They all looked at him curiously.

"It has been a pleasure my Queen and an honor." He answered bowing to her. Aleisa looked down in embarrassment, she was no queen.

"The time is short and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops." The fox continued with a broad smile. The beavers gasped.

"You've seen Aslan?"

"What's he like?" the asked him. The Pevensies and Aleisa watched him in interest.

"Like everything we've ever heard." He told them with an awestruck tone to his voice. The fox turned toward Peter.

"You'll be glad to have him by your side at the battle against the Witch." He informed. Peter looked at the ground with an unsure expression.

"But we're not planning on fighting any Witch." Susan spoke up with certainty.

"Surely …..King Peter….the prophesy." The fox implored. Peter looked up and looked back at the fox.

"We can't go to war without ya." Beaver added. This made Peter even more unsure about their decision to stay away from the fight. He looked over at Aleisa who was silently asking telling him the same thing with her eyes. Her expression almost made him change his mind. He looked over to Susan before answering.

"We just want our brother back." He told them. Aleisa could tell that he was still on the fence about it, but didn't push the matter. The fox nodded his head and went on his way. Not long after he had left the group decided to get some sleep for the night so they could set out early in the morning. As the darkness had grown, so had the level of chill in the air. Around the fire they all settled down in groups to stay warmer. The beavers huddled together and Susan had snuggled down with Lucy. Peter and Aleisa nervously looked over at each other. Logically they should sleep near each other…however that was also a bit awkward for both of them.

"I guess we should get some sleep then." Aleisa poorly started the conversation. Peter nodded.

"I guess so…." He trailed off. The thought of being so close to her made him feel a bit jittery. Aleisa shivered and despite her feelings, decided that she would much rather be warm and uncomfortable for a short amount of time.

"Come on now. I won't bite I promise." She assured Peter with a teasing smile. He grinned back and laughed at her banter. He lead her over to the wall of one of the houses near the fire. Sitting against it he gestured for her to sit down next to him. She complied and sat close to his side soaking in the body heat. After a moment or two the events of the day seemed to take their effect and she quickly nodded off to sleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He smiled down at her and rested his head on top of hers. It fit perfectly like a puzzle piece. He fell asleep thinking about the curious girl beside him, and all the adventures they would soon be facing together.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning the Beavers got up early and woke everyone else up. They had to get an early start if they wanted to make it to Aslan in good time. Mrs. Beaver woke up a sleeping Aleisa with a gentle shake.

"Come on dearie, we need to get up and moving soon." She told the still groggy Aleisa. She nodded in understanding and lifted her hand to wipe away some of the sleep from her eyes. Looking around she noticed that during the night she had shifted so she was fully snuggled up against Peter with her head on his chest. He was a nice warm pillow she thought to herself with a drowsy smile. It took a moment for her to fully wake up and analyze her situation. Realizing that she shouldn't be this cozy with someone she hardly knew, she tried to sit up. However this proved to be difficult. He had his arms securely around her and was snoring lightly. He was dead to the world. Aleisa sighed and tried to wake him up.

"Peter…..Peter time to get up now." She whispered while patting his chest gently…..nothing…..he didn't even flinch. This was going to be harder than she thought. She huffed out a breath.

"Peter, wake up please. I need you to let me go." Aleisa said a bit louder than last time. She started shaking him and he stirred this time. She watched as he opened his eyes slowly and looked at her blearily, sending her a goofy grin. Aleisa's eyes widened but she found it quite endearing and amusing.

A little ways away from the two of them, Lucy and Susan were watching in amusement. It was obvious that the two of them liked each other. Without saying anything they shared a look and continued to watch as Aleisa tried to wake their brother. They knew it would be a difficult task since he was no morning person. Lucy held in an 'awe' as she watched the trapped Aleisa whisper gently to him trying to wake him up. They were so perfect! Eventually Aleisa managed to wake him and he looked at her sleepily. He sent her a sleepy smile and a 'hi'. Aleisa seemed surprised but still amused. She greeted him back. Susan giggled at her drowsy brother. He obviously had no idea what was going on, or the position the two of them were in. Peter continued looking at Aleisa and Susan waited for the moment he became fully awake and aware. In 3…..2…1….Peter's eyes widened and he quickly let Aleisa go and helped her up apologizing profusely. Aleisa however seemed unfazed and giggled at how flustered he was. They really did seem to fit well together. After a quick breakfast the group decided to head off toward Aslan's camp.

After walking for a few hours the group made it to the top of a giant natural bridge formation that overlooked almost all of Narnia. A giant lake before them with lots of cliffs and mountainsides beyond that and it seemed to stretch on forever. Aleisa's eyes widened at the beauty of it all. It was stunning now with all the white snow on the ground, she couldn't help but think about what it would look like in the spring. The children followed behind the beavers and all four of them looked out over the land.

"Now Aslan's camp is near the stone table. Just across the frozen river." Beaver told them as he shielded his eyes from the sun that was brightly shining over the horizon. Lucy turned and looked up at her brother.

"River?" he asked. He looked down at the Beavers questioningly. How were they supposed to get across a river?

"Oh the river has been frozen solid for a 100 years." Mrs. Beaver assured him. Aleisa relaxed a bit after hearing that. She wasn't too keen on getting wet in this cold weather. Peter and Susan looked at the vast landscape with worried eyes.

"It's so far…" Peter said with dismay. How long would it take them to get to Aslan? The longer it took, the longer Edmund was with the White Witch.

"It's the world dear, did you expect it to be small?" Mrs. Beaver asked with a hint of teasing. Lucy reached over and grabbed her brother's hand in worry.

"Smaller.." Susan retorted with glare at her brother. Apparently she was still a bit cross at her brother. Peter sighed and shook his head as she walked past him. He looked back at the scene with sad eyes. Aleisa saw this and grabbed Lucy's other hand. She tugged gently effectively pulling the other two along with her.

"It'll be alright. We'll get there soon enough. You'll see." She eagerly encouraged the two siblings. Lucy smiled up at her, feeling better after the comforting words. Peter said nothing but sent her a grateful smile. At least someone was being optimistic.


	16. Chapter 16

The Pevensies, Alesia, and the Beavers had been trekking through the snow for miles. They still had a little ways to go before they reached the edge of the wood where the river was. The Beavers were at the front of the group walking at a brisk pace. They rest of them however weren't used to all this walking in one day so they were beginning to slow down and lag behind. Susan was right behind the Beavers leaving the other three walking with each other. Aleisa still wasn't sure how she felt about the older girl. She seemed cold and bossy, especially to her brother but then again Aleisa could just be judging her too quickly. After all she had just lost her brother.

"Come on humans, while we're still young." Mr. Beaver joked, looking back at the children who were a good distance behind him. Susan was still in the lead but Lucy had fallen farther behind since she was the youngest and didn't have the endurance of the older teenagers. Peter kept glancing back to make sure she was still ok. Susan stopped and waited for her brother and Aleisa to catch up, and the three waited for Lucy to join.

"If he tells us to hurry up one more time I'm going to turn him into a big fluffy hat." Peter told Susan with a shake of his head. They had been hearing it now for quite a while. He bent down to lift Lucy up onto his back, as she was growing tired. Aleisa giggled, picturing what that would look like. Peter heard it and turned to look at her with a fond smile. She smiled back at him.

"Come on, hurry up!" Beaver called again. Aleisa frowned at the sudden change of tone. Something wasn't right.

"He is getting rather bossy." Lucy mumbled from Peter's back.

"No! Behind you it's her!" Mrs. Beaver frantically shouted. In alarm the four turned to look behind them and saw a sleigh plowing through the snow, heading straight towards them. Peter set Lucy down and grabbed her hand.

"Run" he urged the girls pulling Lucy behind him. They all started running as fast as they could to try and outrun the witch. Aleisa tried to ignore the sound of bells coming closer to them. She pushed harder.

"Hurry." Peter urged as he caught up with her. He kept glancing back at the oncoming carriage. They made it to the edge of the forest and Beaver led them all down to a small hole under a rock bridge.

"Inside! Hurry, hurry!" Beaver frantically shouted as he kept glancing back. They all scrambled in and pushed themselves back against the wall, trying to stay out of sight. In the scramble Aleisa had grabbed Lucy and was hugging her protectively. Peter had gone behind them and was holding both of them to him. Susan and the Beavers were beside the three of them. Susan had a firm grip on Peter's arm. They heard the sleigh bells come to a stop right above them. Everything went deadly quiet. They watched as the snow fell down from the edges of the bridge and they pushed farther back if possible. The group sat still in terrified anticipation. They watched as a tall shadow appeared on the snowbank just in front of them. Lucy quietly whimpered and Aleisa turned to bury her face in Peter's shoulder. She was too scared to think about how close they were to each other at the moment. The shadow walked away and they were sent back into silence. No one moved.

"Maybe she's gone." Lucy quietly suggested, glancing up and listening for any movement. After a minute of quiet Peter spoke up.

"I suppose I'll go look." He said, trying to hide his nervousness. Aleisa turned to him in alarm.

"No!" she harshly whispered. Peter looked down at her with a slightly relieved look. Maybe she was right.

"She's right Peter, you're worth nothing to Narnia dead. I'll go." he told him.

"Neither will you Beaver." Mrs. Beaver insisted. She didn't want him to go either.

"Thanks sweetheart." Beaver smiled at her and patted her hand lovingly. He leapt up onto the ledge to take a look. Without thinking Peter grabbed Aleisa's hand in anticipation. Neither thought anything of it. It was almost like they were meant to be this comfortable with each other. Lucy let out little whimpers as they waited with wide and fearful eyes. They heard the sound of footsteps right above them. A head popped down from above and Lucy squealed in fright.

"Come out, come out. I hope you've all been good because there's someone here to see ya!" Beaver excitedly told them. Susan and Mrs. Beaver let out sighs of relief. Peter's eyes were still wide as he processed what had happened. Beaver had scared him a bit too, but he would never admit to it. They all looked at each other confusedly and slowly crawled out of the little hole. Peter pulled Lucy behind him and the group made their way to the top of the bridge. Aleisa's eyes widened and she gaped at the figure standing before her. And here she thought things were already crazy enough.

Standing there right in front of them was an old man with a youthful air about him. He wore a big rust colored coat and had a long white beard. He stood next to his red sled pulled by reindeer. The man chuckled at their speechless expressions. Aleisa glanced over at the older siblings in shock. She and Peter were pleasantly surprised while Susan still looked skeptical. As usual. Lucy was the only one who was unfazed by Santa's appearance. She was thrilled, as any young child would be.

"Merry Christmas, sir." Lucy beamed as she walked towards the man.

"It certainly is Lucy. Since you have arrived." He replied with a soft voice and a kind smile. Susan shook her head in disbelief and turned to her brother.

"Look I've put up with a lot since I've got here…." She whispered and trailed off looking at the man who was supposed to be a myth.

"But this…." She continued but was quickly cut off.

"We thought you were the witch." Aleisa cut in giving her a pointed look as if to say, 'you're done'. Susan was less than amused. Aleisa and Peter stepped forward beside Lucy and looked to Santa with polite smiles.

"Sorry about that. But in my defense, I have been driving one of these longer than the witch." He told them while taking off his gloves.

"I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia." Susan commented curiously while stepping up to join her siblings. She was beginning to accept that he was real now.

"No, not for a long time." He agreed with a sad smile.

"But the hope that you have brought your majesties, has begun to weaken the witch's power." He continued. They all glanced at each other still unsure. Was it really their doing?

"Still I daresay you can do with these." Father Christmas added with a smile. He turned back to his sled and pulled out a large sack and set it on the ground with a 'thump'.

"Presents!" Lucy exclaimed and rushed forward. The old man chuckled and dug around in his bag for the gifts. He pulled out a small dagger and a class bottle filled with an orange liquid. Both equipped with the belts to store them in. Lucy looked at the gifts with slight confusion. She stepped forward as he knelt down to her level.

"The juice of the fire flower. One drop will cure any injury." He informed her as she gingerly took the bottle from him.

"And I hope you never have to use this." He told her as he handed her the small dagger.

"Thank you, sir. I….think I can be brave enough." She told him almost as a question. Aleisa smiled at her determination.

"I'm sure you could, battles are ugly affairs." He told her with a soft voice. He gave her a comforting smile and she backed away as he pulled out another gift. He pulled out a white quiver with a set of red feathered arrows and a beautifully carved bow.

"Susan." He called. The girl stepped forward eyeing the arrows.

"Trust in this bow, and it will not easily miss." He told her as he handed her the quiver and bow. She ran her fingers over them and marveled.

"What happened to battles are ugly affairs?" she asked him after a moment of admiring the weapon. He chuckled at her quip.

"Well you don't seem to have a problem making yourself heard." He remarked. Aleisa giggled as that was spot on. Susan playfully glared back at her before turning back to the old man.

"Blow on this, and wherever you are help will come." He told her with a 'believe me' look. He could tell that she was the skeptical one of the group.

"Thanks." She whispered with a small smile.

"Aleisa." Santa summoned and she stepped forwards. He pulled out a set of twin curved swords and handed them to her by the hilt. She slowly grabbed them and marveled at how light they were. They fit into her hands perfectly, like they were specifically made for her. Which she assumed they probably were.

"These swords are special. One alone is strong, but together they are even stronger. Use them together and you will be unstoppable in battle." She glanced up at him and then back down the weapons in her hand. She wasn't so sure about this whole battle thing now. She used to do a bit of fencing back home but these were real weapons for a real battle. Masking her uncertainty she looked up at him and nodded.

"Since your hands will be full, I give you these arm guards. They work like a shield and can protect you from any blow. Even from any magic." He handed her two silver arm guards with intricate carvings of a lion on them. Much like all the other 'gifts' as she just now noticed.

"Thank you, sir." She smiled at him and backed away.

"Peter." The boy in question looked up at the older man and slowly made his way forward.

"The time to use these is near at hand." He solemnly told Peter. In his hands were a shining silver sword with a lion's head on the hilt and a matching shield. Peter took it from him and in one swift movement pulled the sword from its scabbard to examine the weapon.

"Thank you, sir." Peter said while looking at the sword with a smile. In a way it felt like he was more of a man. Aleisa picked up on his change of attitude and new sense of responsibility. She couldn't help but think that the Pevensies just might end up staying for the battle to save Narnia with her now.

"Now these are tools, not toys. Bear them well and wisely." The older man reminded them.

"Now, I must be off." Santa told them while changing from the serious mood.

"Winter is almost over, and things pile up when you've been gone a 100 years." He chuckled as he threw the sack back into his sleigh. After situating the bag he swiftly turned back to them.

"Long Live Aslan." He proclaimed. The children all smiled with a new sense of pride in this new land. Slowly they were seeing the impact that they had on it, and they were becoming a part of this magical land now. It was almost like it was their new homeland.

"And Merry Christmas!" Santa added as he prodded his reindeer to move forward. The sleigh took off and the rest of them bid him farewell. Once he was out of sight Lucy whipped around to look at Susan.

"Told you he was real." She told him with a smirk. Susan and Aleisa smiled at her joking attitude.

"He said winter was almost over….." Peter muttered in thought. The girls and Beavers all looked over at him in curiosity.

"You know what that means…."

"No more ice…." Aleisa finished his train of thought. They all looked at each other with slight worry. They still had to cross a frozen river. What will happen if it isn't frozen anymore….


	17. Chapter 17

The group made their way on towards the river. The sooner they get there the less chance of the ice being gone. As they trekked on Aleisa noticed that Peter continued to admire the sword that was now strapped to his waist.

"It's beautiful." She commented. Peter jerked his head up to look at her.

"Yea, it's really nice." Aleisa sensed a bit of hesitancy in his voice.

"What's wrong?" she gently asked. Peter looked over at her unsurely. He knew that they hadn't known each other that long but so far Aleisa had become a good friend and easy to talk to. Then again he didn't want to appear weak in front of her if he told her what was going on through his head at the moment. After some thought he let out a defeated sigh.

"I just don't understand all of this. I'm not a hero that everyone seems to think I am. I can hardly manage taking care of my siblings, how do they expect me to take care of a country?" He blurted out, getting all of his emotions flood out in one go. Aleisa furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him. Was he serious? Seeing his vulnerable expression she grabbed his arm to stop him and let the others go up ahead for a bit, since the two of them were in the back.

"Is that what you are all worked up about?" she asked him with concern. She couldn't believe he thought that. She thought he was doing a splendid job with what had been thrown at him.

"Peter no one else I know could handle everything as well as you have. I may not have known you long but I can spot a leader, and you are it. You have greatness in you Peter. You just need to have confidence in yourself." Aleisa fervently told him. Peter watched her with shining eyes.

"But I haven't been able to…"He started to protest but she cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth. Peter rose his eyebrows at her in amusement. She gave him a chastising look and slowly removed her hand.

"Peter you have been thrown into a strange magical land where nothing seems to make sense. You have protected me, the beavers and your siblings throughout the whole ordeal. Yes, Edmund is a bit of a problem but that was his doing. NOT yours. You need to snap out of this defeatist attitude and start stepping up. You have all the courage, and leadership you need…inside." She told him. Peter couldn't help but give her a soft smile. She insisted on bringing out the best in him. His fondness for the kind and spunky girl had increased. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, but he could see now that she had a beautiful heart as well. She was kind and loving when necessary but wouldn't hesitate to put someone in their place. Aleisa was unintentionally burrowing her way into his heart.

"Thank you." He told her with a fond smile. She smiled back, happy that his demeanor had brightened significantly. It hurt her to see him so upset with himself, so she decided that she would be the one to counteract it. It was almost comical how they were already proving to be each other's perfect counterpart. After a moment of gazing Aleisa snapped out of it and blushed at how intense his stare was.

"We should catch up with the others." She told him not looking him in the eyes. Peter chuckled and started forward.

"I guess we should." He agreed and beamed back at her. After a second of hesitation she jogged to catch up with him and they walked side by side following behind the group, who were oblivious to what just happened.

Soon enough the group had made it to the river crossing. Unfortunately the ice had already begun melting at a rapid pace and the edges of it were cracking away. There was only a few yards between the now flowing river and the frozen falls from where it came. They had to move fast if they were going to make it before the whole thing melted. They stood on one side of a rocky slope. The only way to get across was to climb down the side, walk across what was left of the frozen water and climb back up the other slope. This was not going to be an easy task. After glancing around and accessing the situation, Peter quickly took charge of the situation.

"We need to cross, now." He urgently told them, reaching for Lucy's hand.

"Don't beavers make dams?" Lucy asked her furry companions with wide eyes. The thought of crossing that river seemed a bit daunting for her.

"I'm not that fast dear." Mr. Beaver told her with a raise of his paws. Peter knew they couldn't wait much longer.

"Come on!" he pressed as he grabbed Lucy and started pulling her along.

"Wait will you just think about this for a minute!?" Susan quickly argued. The beavers and Aleisa had already started their decent but paused to look back at her.

"We don't have a minute!" Aleisa snapped with frustration. Susan looked a bit taken aback.

"I'm just trying to be realistic." She argued with the other girl. Before Aleisa could say anything Peter spoke up in her defense.

"No, you're trying to be smart." He quipped sarcastically. Susan's eyes widened at the fact that he had not taken her side.

"As usual." He finished with a fed up attitude. The group continued making their way down. Susan however stood there and sent a small glare in their direction. How dare he side with a stranger over his own sister, she didn't care if he had a crush on the girl or not. Before she could dwell on her hurt feelings for long she heard the sound of wolves howling and decided that maybe going across the ice was a good idea after all.


	18. Chapter 18

Peter helped his youngest sister across the small pathway down to the frozen part of the river below. On the way down Susan had slipped and was quickly caught by Aleisa. They made eye contact and Susan gave her a nod of thanks. Aleisa sent her a small smile in return before continuing down. Susan glanced at the girl again. Maybe she wasn't that horrible, after all she's been the only one that can go toe to toe with her in an argument so far. Maybe that wasn't as bad a thing as Susan originally thought.

Once they were all at the bottom of the ridge Peter got a bit nervous. Aleisa made her way up to the front next to him and glanced over at his worried expression. He had every right to be worried. At this level they could clearly hear the ice cracking and starting to give a little to the water beneath it. Aleisa decided to get it over with and took a hesitant step forward. On the first step the ice beneath her gave and some water sprayed up from the hidden cracks. Peter snatched her away from the edge and held on to her tightly as if she was going to vanish.

"Wait, maybe I should go first." Mr. Beaver suggested. Aleisa swallowed and tried to regain her normal breathing.

"Maybe you should." Peter agreed with a nod of his head. After all the beavers lived near and in water anyway so if he fell through it wouldn't be much of a problem. Beaver started shuffling his way across the ice, patting it with his tail and feet to see if the ice would hold. After a few steps it was so far so good. A little ways out a crack appeared where Beaver had taken a step so he moved out of the way.

"You've been sneaking second helpings haven't you?" Mrs. Beaver chuckled as she saw that. Beaver turned back to her.

"Well you never know which meat is gonna be your last. Especially with your cooking." He joked back and mumbled the last part. She chuckled again, trying to lighten the mood. After it seemed that the ice was safe the rest of the group started inching forward. Peter but on a brave face and took the lead with Lucy slightly behind him. Aleisa held on to the younger girl's hand while Susan was in the back. They carefully started walking across, going as fast as they could since it was melting quickly. Lucy let out a squeal as the ice gave a little beneath her and Aleisa quickly yanked Lucy to her side. Peter glanced back in worry but Aleisa gave him a reassuring nod and he continued on. When they were almost halfway the ice beneath them started cracking into blocks so they had to start stepping over the cracks.

"If mum knew what we were doing…" Susan nervously mumbled as she looked down where she was stepping. Peter whipped around.

"Mum's not here." He quipped irritably. Aleisa didn't say anything. She knew he was just scared and it came out in a bit of anger towards his sister. As they took a few more steps some ice from the top of the waterfall tumbled down and Aleisa lifted her hand up to shield herself. Lucy looked up for the source.

"Oh no!" she shrieked. This got the attention of the older three and they looked up too. On the top of the falls some wolves were running across to beat them to the other side.

"Run!" Peter ordered and they all followed. Aleisa tightened her grip on Lucy and rushed across as best they could.

"Hurry!" she urged. However the wolves made it across the ridge faster and cut them off. One of wolves jumped down onto the ice and snarled at Beaver who was in the very front. Lucy screamed and latched onto her brother's leg. Peter pushed Lucy behind him and tried to go back the other way.

"No wait." Aleisa said as she gently stopped him from moving backwards. Peter looked back and followed her line of sight to see that the ice had mostly disappeared and more wolves were blocking that exit too. They were trapped. He turned back around when he heard the sound of Beaver hissing at the wolf. The wolf lunged and tackled him to the ground and held him with his teeth.

"No!" Mrs. Beaver cried in fear for her husband.

"Peter." Aleisa mumbled nervously which got his attention. They watched as the head wolf, Morgrim, stalked towards them. Peter pushed Aleisa and his sister's behind him protectively. He whipped out his sword and held it out far in front of him.

"Put that away boy. Someone could get hurt." Morgrim warned while he continued forward. Peter held the sword tightly in both hands but still took small steps backwards.

"Don't worry about me, run him through!" Beaver called as he struggled under the wolf's grip.

"Leave now while you can, and your brother leaves with you." Morgrim told them with his gravelly voice. Peter looked scared but he wasn't backing down.

"Stop Peter maybe we should listen to him!" Susan protested with her face close to his. Peter glanced over at her wide eyed before looking back at the wolf. Morgrim chuckled.

"Smart girl" he muttered.

"Listen to the one looking to kill us?!" Aleisa shouted at Susan with disbelief. She quickly turned to Peter with pleading eyes.

"Peter don't do it, he's lying. Don't back down." She encouraged.

"Don't listen to him. Kill him, kill him now!" Beaver shouted. Peter still looked unsure but didn't put the sword down.

"Oh come on, this isn't your war. All my queen wants is for you to take your family and go." Morgrim continued, trying to sway Peter.

"Just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero. Just drop it!" Susan shouted desperately at her brother. Aleisa fumed.

"It's not about being a hero! It's about the knowing the truth and doing the right thing! Narnia needs us!" She fired back.

"Peter please, don't back down. You have it in you, I know you do. You know the right thing to do. Narnia need you." Aleisa softy told him. Peter looked down at her and had a new fire in his eyes. He wasn't going to let her down.

"Narnia needs you! Kill him while you still have a chance!" Beaver shouted. Peter hesitated and kept his sword pointed at Morgrim.

"What's it going to be son of Adam? I won't wait forever, and neither will the river." Morgrim challenged. Peter swallowed and took a tiny step forward. Lucy's eyes widened as she heard groaning beside her.

"Peter!" she shouted in terror up at her brother. Everyone turned to look at the frozen waterfall that was creaking. It was about to burst at any second. A crack of gushing water started making it's way to the top of the falls. Peter looked up at the crack and turned back to Morgrim. Looking around he saw that he and the girls were all on the same block of ice. He had an idea.

"Hold onto me!" He instructed and plunged his sword into the block of ice. The girls did as they were told and all of them watched as the ice continued to crack open. Suddenly the ice completely shattered and came crashing down, bringing a flood of water with it. A giant wave of water headed towards them and the girls screamed as they were sent under the water.


	19. Chapter 19

The now flowing waters were rushing downstream. The deep blue waters continued to churn as a result of their new freedom and for a few seconds all you could see was some chunks of ice floating on top of it. Suddenly a hand grasping the hilt of a sword popped out of the water, followed by the rest of the ice block with 3 sopping wet children riding on top of it. They all took in a gasp of air as they broke through the surface of the icy waters. They looked around in slight shock. They had actually made it! Peter and Susan glanced at each other and laughed in slight shock. Peter was brought back by a small cry from Lucy who had slipped a little bit. He readjusted his arm over her so she wouldn't slip any farther. Suddenly in the rush of things he hadn't noticed that they were missing a member.

"Where's Aleisa?!" he frantically asked Susan who was beside her when the waterfall had crashed down on them. Before she could answer they heard a shout from in front of them.

"I'm over here!" Aleisa called from a smaller block of ice farther down the river. She was still close enough to hear and see the siblings. Peter let out a relieved sigh that he didn't realize he had been holding. She was fine. Aleisa sent them all a reassuring smile. Suddenly the river got a bit rougher and Lucy let out another squeal as she struggled to stay on their little frozen raft. Peter quickly let go of his sword so he could use both hands to pull her back up this time. Once she had a better grip on the ice he quickly grasped the only non-slippery part of the ice block. He glanced up as Aleisa went around a bend in the river but was sure she would be fine. The beavers had decided to take care of the three siblings, per Aleisa's request. They were able to steer the raft over towards the river bank.

When they reached the bank Susan was the first to stand up and grasp the side. Using her arms and legs to help pull the ice block closer for her siblings. When she stood up onto the shore she turned around to help her siblings but froze at the sight. Peter looked up at her with wide, pained eyes as he fearfully held up the coat that Lucy had been wearing. But no Lucy. Peter glanced around hoping that she was just scurried away and was with Aleisa, since that was were Lucy liked to be if she wasn't in the protection of her older brother. However the two noticed that neither of the girls were there.

"What have you done?!" Susan screeched in fear. He had let the youngest sister slip out of his grasp in the swift current of the icy waters. Peter couldn't say anything, the pain in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Lucy!" Susan called with panic in her voice. She scanned the banks and still couldn't see either of the missing girls.

"Lucy! Aleisa!" she called again the panic rising within her. Looking around the river she still couldn't see anything. Peter was close to tears. How could he have been so stupid to lose his little sister and let Aleisa fend for herself?

"Over here!" a familiar voice called from behind them. They all whipped around and saw Aleisa holding onto an overhanging branch. In her arms was a shivering Lucy. She finally dragged the two of them back up onto the bank just a little ways away from the elder Pevensies.

"Has anyone seen my coat?" Lucy asked making her way over towards the group while trying to wrap her tiny shawl around her in attempt to warm up a little. Aleisa let out a tired laugh from behind her as she hauled herself up to her feet. Leave it to Lucy to not make a big deal about almost drowning in a river. Peter and Susan smiled in utter relief that they both were ok.

Aleisa watched the three siblings unite and it warmed her heart. As Lucy approached them Peter wrapped the soggy coat around the little girl.

"Don't worry dear, your brother's got you well looked after." She heard Beaver comment. A smile of admiration slipped onto Aleisa's face. She had noticed Peter's distressed expression and she thought it most endearing and honorable how he cared so much for his siblings. Peter brought Lucy into a hug as the older girl walked over to them. He looked up at her and mouthed 'thank you'. Aleisa blushed and smiled back at him. The two stood there for a moment getting lost in each other's eyes, it was slightly scary for the both of them and somehow it made their budding relationship bloom even more.

"I don't think you'll be needing those coats anymore." Mrs. Beaver told them, effectively breaking the stare. They all turned to see what she was referring to. Aleisa had a slightly awed expression as she could see the ice melting and the trees starting to bud right before her very eyes. Spring was back.


	20. Chapter 20

After walking through the thawing woods for a few minutes the group decided that they really didn't need their coats anymore. The weather had miraculously turned warmer. So much so that they had to rid themselves of their sweaters and roll up their long sleeves. Peter and Aleisa walked silently beside each other. Ever since the river scare it seemed like they didn't need to communicate their mutual feelings of relief when they realized the other was ok. All they shared was a smile glanced, paired with a shy smiled every now and then. This however, did not go unnoticed by the other two girls who would occasionally look back and catch their glances, which sent them into silent giggles.

Eventually the group made it to a grassy valley where a bunch of red tents were set up. You could hear the sounds of chatter and clanging metal. They had made it to Aslan's camp. As the group neared the campground, they heard the sound of a horn blowing. Looking back Aleisa noticed a half man, half horse creature blowing into what looked like a horn. She recognized him as a centaur, something that she had only heard about in mythology. She smiled in delight as she chased after the rest of them, seeing as she had paused to admire the new creature.

The Beavers let the way with broad smiles as they neared the entrance to the camp. Peter walked behind them taking it all in with a content grin. Susan, Aleisa, and Lucy followed behind. As they got closer the siblings and Aleisa all slowed down and glanced at each other with excited smiles. This was more than they could have ever dreamed of. Aleisa took in a deep breath and started forward confidently. The other 3 followed her lead. As they walked through the middle of the camp many strange creature stared back at them in shock. Centaurs, fawns, and talking animals alike stopped and stared at the humans walking through the camp. Aleisa began to feel her confidence drop a little as they walked deeper into unfamiliar surroundings. That was until she felt a larger hand wrap around hers. She glanced over to where it had come from and saw Peter looking down at her with a reassuring smile. Aleisa beamed back and they continued on hand in hand.

As they walked through the camp they acquired a large following. All those who were in the camp seemed to follow behind them as they made their way towards Aslan's tent.

"Why are they all staring at us?" Susan asked the group with a wary grin on her face.

"Maybe they thing you look funny." Lucy told her with a small mischievous smile, while Peter and Aleisa laughed quietly. Susan however let the comment sink in before rolling her eyes and continuing on. Seeing that they were getting closer, Mrs. Beaver started brushing down her fur.

"Oi, stop you're fussing. You look lovely." Her husband told her with a fond smile. This made his wife blush. Aleisa couldn't help but smile at how cute the couple was.

Soon they reached a giant tent at the very end of the camp. Aleisa could only assume that it was Aslan's since it was the most elaborate one there. She swallowed nervously as they approached the large Centaur with black hair, who was standing in front of the tent. Letting go of her hand Peter drew his sword and held it up for the man to see.

"We have come to see Aslan." He told the Centaur somewhat awkwardly. Couldn't blame him though, I mean it's not like anyone told them what they were supposed to do. Without a word the man looked toward the entrance of the tent. They followed his gaze and watched the fluttering curtains in anticipation.

Suddenly they all heard the sound of rustling behind them. Turning around, they saw that everyone in the camp were kneeling or bowing in reverence to whoever was going to come out of the tent. Aleisa and the Pevensies nervously turned back around and Peter lowered his sword. After what seemed like an eternity a giant paw emerged from the tent, followed by the rest of a giant lion. He majestically walked out of the tent and into the sunlight, looking at the new faced in his camp. Aleisa immediately felt the power and demand of respect that seemed to radiate off of him. A lion being the king of a land also seemed very fitting. She, along with the siblings, was breathless in his presence. Aslan came to a stop on the edge of the small rise, where his tent was on. The humans and beavers immediately bowed in reverence.

"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam. Welcome Susan, Lucy, and Aleisa, Daughters of Eve. And welcome to you Beavers. You have my thanks." Aslan spoke. As he said each of their names, they looked up at him. Aleisa couldn't help but wonder how exactly did he know their names?

"But where is the fourth?" Aslan inquired with a gentle tone. At this question all of their smiles fell. It was still a touchy subject.

"That's why we're here, sir." Peter answered as he stood up. The girls all followed his lead.

"We need your help." Aleisa continued as Peter sheathed his sword.

"We had a little trouble along the way." Susan elaborated.

"Our brother's been captured by the White Witch." Peter finished after a sigh. Aleisa put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She understood that this was still hard for all the siblings.

"Captured? How could this happen?" Aslan asked, looking at them. Peter put his head down unable to look at him when he explained. He still felt that it was all his fault. But before they could answer Beaver spoke up instead.

"He….betrayed them, your Majesty." Beaver explained glancing over at the siblings pained expressions.

"Then he has betrayed us all." The Centaur growled. Aleisa was about to protest against that, Edmund didn't necessarily mean to do all this. But before she could Aslan spoke up.

"Peace Orious." The lion gently scolded. He turned back towards those in front of him.

"I'm sure there's an explanation." Aslan said, waiting for their answer. They all looked down in shame.

"It's my fault really…I was too hard on him." Peter told the Lion with a soft and regretful voice. All three of the girls looked up at him with an expression to say 'no it's not your fault'. Susan reached over and put a hand on Peter's shoulder, opposite of Aleisa's. Peter glanced at her.

"We all were." Susan amended with a confident voice. Peter wasn't the only one to blame in this situation and she accepted part of the burden. Aslan nodded in understanding.

"Sir, he's our brother." Lucy pleaded in a small voice. Aslan gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know dear one, but that only makes the betrayal all the worse." He explained to her. The older three looked at him with slight worry.

"This may be harder than you think." Aslan told them. Aleisa glanced at the siblings worriedly. But something can still be done right?


	21. Chapter 21

The Pevensies and Aleisa had been taken to tents and given clean clothes to wear. The clothing was a bit different than what they were used to. They were more of a medieval style of clothing. The girls wore long and elegant dresses, yet they were able to move in them. Aleisa wasn't too much into the dresses, since she preferred being able to run around in her clothing, but she did have to admit that they were quite pretty.

Once Aliesa had finished changing she stepped out of the tent into the sunshine. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air she glanced around at her new surroundings. They didn't have much beautiful nature back in England. She found that she actually was beginning to prefer Narnia to her homeland. She heard a rustling beside her and looked over to see Peter exiting his own tent. She scanned him head to toe in his new attire. It made him look quite dashing and it accented his fit physique even more than before. Peter turned his eyes toward her and she quickly looked down, realizing he had caught her checking him out. Peter wasn't any better though. He was taken aback by how beautiful she looked in her new gown. It was very fitting for her and hugged her figure in a flattering way. She had on her armguards and only one of her swords strapped around her waist.

"Where are you off to?" he curiously asked her. He wanted to make sure that she was going with people that would keep her safe. The thought of Aleisa in danger made him feel uneasy, even her just being in a battle camp was pushing it for him.

"I'm meeting up with Lucy and Susan over by the river. You know wash some clothes and get used to this whole thing." She told him with a slight chuckle as she gestured to the camp around them. He let out a laugh too.

"I guess it is a bit much. I'm still trying to process it all." He told her honestly. Peter wasn't one to admit his insecurities but something about Aleisa made him comfortable telling her these things. She watched him with a concerned expression as he looked around with a small frown. She took a few steps towards him.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out just fine. Just take it all one step at a time. You never know, you might surprise yourself." She told him with a knowing smirk. Aleisa had no doubt that once he fully embraced his new found responsibilities that he would be able to adjust with no problem at all. He just came across as a natural born leader. Peter smiled at her in thanks. She always seemed to have the right words for how he was feeling. They gazed at each other for what seemed like forever. After a few moments Alesia snapped out of it and took a small step back.

"Well I had better get going then." She sheepishly told him while pointing towards her destination. Peter felt a little disappointed that she couldn't stay with him for longer but tried to cover it up.

"Of course, I'll see you around." He told her with a polite nod. She nodded back and started to make her way towards the river a little ways away from the camp. Peter headed off in the opposite direction, to get his head cleared. This whole prophesy and leading an army was getting a bit overwhelming for him and he needed some time to think. As he walked he felt the urge to look behind him, and when he did he saw Aleisa glancing back at him too. They both smiled and let out a small laugh before turning their heads and continuing in opposite directions. As she headed towards the sisters, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him and bit her lip in attempts to hide her goofy smile.


	22. Chapter 22

Peter was standing up on the edge of a grassy cliff that overlooked Aslan's camp. The view stretched on past the camp, over the small sea harbor and in the far distance was a large castle on the edge of a large cliff overlooking the sea. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword that was strapped around his waist as he gazed at the view in thought, while the breeze ruffled his hair. Silently Aslan came up from behind and stood next to him.

"That is Cair Paravel. The castle of the five thrones." He informed Peter as he also looked out at the view before them.

"On one of which you will sit Peter as High King." Aslan continued and looked up at him. Peter glanced at the lion before looking down with a conflicted expression. Aslan continued to watch his expression.

"You doubt the prophecy." He said as more of a question.

"No, that's just it." Peter told him. He shook his head before looking over at the wise lion. Surely he could voice his concerns to Aslan.

"Aslan, I'm not who you all think I am." Peter elaborated with slight exasperation. They expected him to be this great king and warrior but he truly didn't think that he could live up to that.

"Peter Pevensie, formerly of Finchley." Aslan immediately answered him. Peter looked at him with a questioning look. How did he know that?

"Beaver also mentioned that you planned on turning him into a hat." Aslan continued with an amused smile. Peter looked down and smirked at the memory before letting out a chuckle. Aslan laughed too before getting back to the serious part.

"Peter, there is a deep magic that is more powerful than any of us that rules over all of Narnia." Aslan began as Peter listened to him intently.

"It defines right and wrong, and governs all our destinies. Yours, and mine." Aslan told him. Peter shook his head.

"But I couldn't even protect my own family!" he protested.

"You've brought them safely this far." Aslan reminded. Peter smiled sadly. Aleisa had told him something similar not long after they had lost Edmund. He sighed and turned to look back at the castle in the distance. The castle that stood for his future and what he was destined to become.

"Not all of them." Peter added sadly.

"Peter, I will do what I can to help your brother." Aslan assured. Peter looked down at him.

"But I need you to consider what I ask of you. I too want my family safe." The two of them looked out at the camp below them that was bustling with life. Aslan was asking for Peter to lead them. He trusted Aslan and his plan, so he could try to be what Narnia needed him to be.

Susan, Aleisa, and Lucy were over by the stream talking. They had pinned each other's hair back away from their faces over by the small tent that was set up for them where they had set down their weapons since they were near the water and didn't want to ruin them.

"You look like mum." Lucy commented as she admired Susan.

"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war." Susan commented as she looked at her reflection in the calm water. Lucy's face lit up in thought.

"We should bring her one back! A while trunkful!" she suggested with a wide smile. Susan and Aleisa chuckled softly at the younger girl's excitement. However Susan's smile dropped as she continued to stare at the water.

"If we ever get back." She solemnly commented. Lucy's smile dropped and she looked down sadly at her sister's pessimism. Aleisa nudged Susan and gestured toward Lucy. Susan's face contorted into an expression of regret as she saw the way her words affected Lucy.

"I'm sorry I'm like that." She apologized. Lucy looked up at her questioningly.

"We used to have fun together didn't we?" Susan said as more of a statement to her younger sister. Aleisa silently watched with a small smile as the two sisters mended their bond.

"Yes…..before you got boring." Lucy told her as she started giggling. Aleisa held her hand to her mouth and started giggling too.

"So far it seems that you've always been boring." She snickered. Susan eyed the two of them mischievously.

"Oh really?" she asked in mock offense. A smile slipped onto her face as she quickly bent down and splashed the two of them with water. Lucy squealed and tried to duck but failed as Aleisa took it head on with an expression of shock. Susan was starting to come out of her shell. Susan laughed and continued to splash. Soon enough the other two joined in and all three of them were having a small water fight. After a few moments they made their way out of the water, catching their breath from all the hard laughing, and headed towards some towels that were hanging on the tree branches. Aleisa reached for hers and once it was pulled down a large wolf appeared from behind it. All three of them screamed and took a step back as the wolf growled at them menacingly.

"Please don't try to run, we're tired and we'd prefer to kill you quickly." Morgrim growled as he stalked towards them. At the mention of 'we' Aleisa whipped her head around and spotted the other wolf over by Lucy. She glanced around. Their weapons were out of reach but she still had her gauntlets. Also Susan's horn was hanging on a nearby branch. With a glance at Susan the two girls sprang into action. Aleisa threw her towel over Morgrim's head while Susan made a run for her horn.

"Lucy, Susan climb!" Aleisa instructed as she quickly lunged for her sword. The other wolf quickly jumped her before she could reach it and she threw her hands up on instinct. The wolf bit into the wrist bracelts and whimpered in pain before releasing her. Wide eyes she looked down at her unscuffed armor. They actually do work. Regaining her level head, she grabbed her sword and held it out in front of her, unsure how to handle it while Susan started desperately blowing on her horn from up in the tree. All Aleisa could think was, 'Someone please come quickly'. She wasn't sure how long they could hold out.


	23. Chapter 23

From his spot next to Aslan on the Cliffside, Peter heard the sound of a horn and immediately knew who it was. His eyes widened in fear as he whipped around toward the noise.

"Susan!" he shouted and took of full sprint toward the river. As he ran he remembered that Lucy and Aleisa were with her. This made him push even harder. He had to get there before anything happened to them.

Lucy and Susan were pinned up a tree as one wolf barked underneath them, while Aleisa was off to the side holding her sword up trying to fend off the other wolf. Susan slipped a little closer to the ground and the wolf below kept snapping at her while she pulled her feet up each time. Aleisa was trying to make her way over to help them but the wolf in front of her prevented any forward movement. It kept trying to snap at her and catch her off guard but she held her sword out towards him in defense. Suddenly they could hear the splashing of water and the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Aleisa looked over and saw Peter running towards them with a determined with a fierce expression as he pulled out his sword. While she was distracted the wolf in front of Aleisa lunged forward and knocked the weapon out of her hands. Her eyes widened as she backpedaled in the direction of the tree.

"Peter!" Peter's eyes found her and he swiftly made his way to her side and held out his sword towards the two wolves who were now approaching them. Aleisa swallowed nervously and Peter maneuvered his way in front of her as he kept his eyes on the wolves.

"Come on, we've already been through this before." Morgrim ground out as the two began to circle the humans. Peter kept his sword moving between the two as he watched them move. He kept his eyes mainly on Morgrim while Aleisa watched the other. He was confident that she would protect him, just as much as he would protect her. She had his back.

"We both know you haven't got it in you!" Morgrim continued. The wolves growled as they came closer to the frightened teens. Peter didn't let his sword waver but he didn't make an offensive move either.

"Peter, watch out." Aleisa warned from his side. Peter glanced over to the wolf on his side and adjusted his stance before looking back at Morgrim. The two canines snarled and snapped tauntingly as they separated even more from each other. Peter couldn't fend off both of them at the same time. He kept glancing as best he could between the two of them. Aleisa kept her eyes on the other wolf and she watched nervously as it was preparing to strike. Aleisa steadied herself and as the wolf was getting ready to lunge, she was getting ready to shove Peter out of the way. Narnia needed him more than her, and she wasn't about to let him get hurt while defending her. She couldn't bear the thought of it. Just as the wolf was about to leap, Aslan seemingly came out of nowhere and pinned the animal down with his giant paw. Peter looked over at him and the rest of the Narnian soldiers that had come to his aid. Orious galloped forward and swung his sword intending to kill Morgrim but Aslan stopped him.

"No, stay your weapons. This is Peter's battle." Aslan calmly told them as he watched. Aleisa's eyes widened in question. Yes, she trusted Peter but she didn't think he should just be thrown into something like this. Peter looked at Aslan with determination, as he reflected on what they had talked about earlier. He was going to prove himself. With new determination Peter looked back at Morgrim. He steadied his sword even more as he prepared to become what he was meant to be, all the while protecting the girl he dearly cared for.

"You may think you're a king.." Morgrim began demandingly. He obviously didn't think Peter had the guts to go through with it.

"But you're going to die…..Like a dog!" He shouted as he lunged for Peter. As if in slow motion Peter reached back and shoved Aleisa out of the way and held onto his sword tightly as the wolf landed on top of him.

Aleisa hit the ground and whipped her head around as Morgrim attacked. She heard Peter's small cry as he hit the ground and couldn't do anything but stare with wide eyes as both of them lied still. No one was moving. Ignoring the cries of the Pevensie girls Aleisa bolted up and raced toward the bodies. She tried to hold them in but some tears slipped out as different scenarios played out in her head. What if Peter was dead too? She couldn't live with the thought, her heart was clenched tightly as she shoved the limp body of Morgrim off of Peter. Once she did Peter sat up with wide eyes and breathing heavily from the rush of adrenaline. They locked scared eyes with each other before Aleisa launched herself at him. He let out a surprised grunt as she practically knocked the wind out of him and latched onto his neck. She let out a relieved laugh and he quickly wrapped his arms around her torso and closed his eyes. They had both been terrified.

"You're alright." Aleisa breathed out. He could feel the warmth of her breath down his neck and he smiled. She was fine, and he was fine.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be?" He joked. She let out a tearful laugh. He released her and held her at arm's length to make sure that she wasn't hurt either. Once he was satisfied they shared teary smiles and embraced again. Suddenly his sisters barreled towards them and joined in on the group hug. Peter held them all with a relieved smile. He was just glad that they were all ok.

The sound of growling and whimpering tore them from the moment and they watched as Aslan realesed the other wolf, who quickly ran away.

"After him, he'll lead you to Edmund." Aslan informed Orious. He nodded and took off after the canine with the rest of the soldiers in tow. The humans sat there and watched as they ran after the fiend, they were one step closer to getting Edmund back.

"Peter, clean your sword." Aslan instructed. He got up and did just that before being instructed to kneel before Aslan with the tip of his sword planted in the ground. Aslan laid his paw on his shoulder and then took a step back.

"Rise, Sir Peter Wolfsbaine. Knight of Narnia." He announced. Peter looked up at the lion and slowly stood up straight with a new sense of pride. Aleisa smiled at him proudly, alongside his sisters. He had finally come into his own and was now ready to take on his destiny.


	24. Chapter 24

Later that day Aleisa walked out of her tent, after strapping on her swords and wrist guards. She figured that there was no use just waiting around for Orious to bring Edmund back. The waiting would just eat away at her. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for his siblings. As she headed towards the makeshift stables she passed by Peter, who was sitting on a rock looking at his sword again. As if by instinct she walked over to him.

"Sir Peter Wolfsbaine….I quite like that." She commented as she casually approached him. Peter looked up at her, as if she had taken him out of a deep thought. He let out a quiet laugh, making her smile.

"What do you say, we put that sword to good use? After all even Knights of Narnia need practice." She joked. Peter looked up at her and slowly let a smile slip onto his face. Aleisa smiled back and held a hand out to him and raised her eyebrows in a silent question. Peter grabbed it and pulled himself up.

"Alright then." He agreed. Aleisa started back towards the makeshift stables and Peter looked at her questioningly.

"Um where are we going? The training grounds are that way." He told her, gesturing towards the fields in the other direction. She looked back at him with a smirk.

"Well I was going to get a horse. Or are you planning on going into battle on foot?" she asked sarcastically. Peter blushed and ducked his head. He hadn't thought about that.

"Well, I don't know. I'm not all that great at riding. I haven't done it much." He admitted to her. Aleisa smiled gently at him.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'll help you learn." She offered and nodded her head towards the stables. Peter nodded his head in thanks and followed her. Inside was a wide array of horses just wandering around. When they walked in some acknowledged their presence and bowed as they passed. Aleisa smiled. As the two walked through, two horses approached them and kneeled. A white unicorn before Peter and a speckled grey horse before Aleisa. The two looked at each other in slight question.

"Well I guess we have our rides." She mused and walked forward to mount her horse. Peter looked up questioningly at the unicorn. Was he really supposed to ride it?

"Come on Peter, we're wasting daylight." She joked and trotted out of the room. Peter smiled at her carefree attitude and eventually hopped onto the back of the majestic beast. Without being told the unicorn followed after the other two. For a good part of the day the two were out in the fields 'training' as it were. Aleisa gently coached the new knight and they galloped across the fields side by side. Their laughter could be heard by all the others who were near them as they raced past. Eventually the two ended up on the ledge that Peter had been standing with Aslan, only hours previously. They slowed their mounts to a stop and sat there admiring the scene. Aleisa looked over at Peter and smiled at the way his eyes now shone with contentment. They no longer showed the worry for his brother's safety and self-doubt about his abilities as a leader. At least not at the moment. Aleisa knew that all those feelings would eventually return, but that was just who he was, he worried for others. After another moment of thought she turned back to him.

"We should be heading back. We'll need all the rest we can get." She gently suggested, not wanting to completely ruin the moment. Peter looked back over at her. He knew she was right but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he couldn't spend any more time with her. He loved her company and was thankful that she looked to ease his worries. Reluctantly he nodded his head.

"I guess you're right." The two were stationary for a moment, neither one really wanting to leave the other's company. Snapping out of it Aleisa turned her horse around first and galloped back to the camp, Peter not far behind. After they had retired their horses for the night the two of them walked back towards their sleeping tents in silence. Once they reached the place where they would separate they shyly turned towards each other.

"Well this is me." Aleisa joked, gesturing to the large red tent that she, Susan, and Lucy were staying in. Peter chuckled and nodded his head awkwardly.

"Goodnight" he softly told her with a gentlemanly nod. Aleisa shot him a small smile.

"Goodnight" she replied. Both of them stood there for another moment. Aleisa made a move to leave but quickly turned around. After another moment of debate she quickly leaned and pressed a swift kiss to his cheek before rushing away, biting her lower lip. Peter stood there stunned. Had that really happened? Slowly a giant grin made its way onto his face as he stumbled over towards his own tent. With another glance at the girl's tent he walked inside, grinning like an idiot.


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning Peter walked out of his tent to see what all the rustling was about. As he did, he saw Orious walking past the tents. Peter gave him a questioning look. He was head of the party that went to get Edmund last night, so if Orious was here then where was Edmund? Knowing that the boy was thinking, Orious glanced pointedly up towards one of the nearby ledges of the hillside. Peter followed his gaze. Up on that ledge was Aslan talking to Edmund. Peter froze in his tracks, he couldn't believe that his brother was back. Orious began walking away as Peter took another few steps forward, eyes never leaving the scene. The conflicted emotions were dancing across his face. Yes his brother was back but at the same time Edmund had been the one to run off and get them into this mess. What about all the worry and stress that he had unintentionally put on Peter? Peter let out a heavy sigh and looked towards the girl's tent, wondering if he should go fetch them. But just as he was about to Susan and Aleisa walked out of the tent with grins on their faces. However when they saw Peter's stone faced look their smiled dropped into frowns. Lucy then followed them out of the tent and they all looked over towards Aslan and Edmund. Lucy's face immediately lit up.

"Edmund!" she gasped and began to race towards him but Peter held out his hand to stop her and gave her a subtle shake of his head. Now wasn't the time to approach them. Lucy looked up at her oldest brother with a frown and backed into Aleisa who put a comforting hand on her shoulders. She had noticed that when Lucy called out, the two up on the ledge looked their way. The four of them watched with silent anticipation as they watched the two finish up their conversation. Alesia worriedly glanced over at Peter. She couldn't read his emotions, and that bothered her. Surely he wouldn't still be mad at his brother after all they went through to get him back. Aslan looked at the younger boy and nodded, to which Edmund nodded back in silent agreement before slowly making his way down the hillside. His hands were in his pockets and his head was down, portraying the obvious shame he was feeling. The four still hadn't moved as they watched the boy and the lion walk down towards them. Eventually Edmund made his way over to stand in front of his family, still not looking them in the eye.

"What's done is done. There is no need to speak to Edmund about what has passed." Aslan told them, firmly but gently. They all gave him a look of understanding. Aslan then walked away to give them some time alone. They all stood there in awkward silence, no one knowing what to say. Edmund glanced up at his brother, whose expression still hadn't wavered. Edmund sighed before speaking first.

"Hello." He timidly greeted. Lucy was the first to smile and she immediately wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. Edmund was stunned at first but eventually he smiled and wrapped his arms around his little sister. The two of them closed their eyes tight with happy tears, just happy to be back together. Peter's lip quivered just a bit, but only Aleisa noticed. Susan was the next to approach. She set a hand on his arm as Lucy let go and then she wrapped her arms around her little brother. The two let out laughs of relief and joy. Aleisa decided not to hug him since they didn't know each other that well but she still wanted him to know that she cared.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a motherly smile. Edmund looked up at her in slight shock but smiled back.

"I'm a little tired." He admitted, and it showed in his voice. The poor boy must have been exhausted.

"Get some sleep." Peter told him and nodded his head towards the tent. His face still remained hard which made Edmund frown. He looked down sorrowfully and began trudging his way towards the tent. Aleisa gave Peter a hard look. Peter smirked back at her and turned around to address Edmund again.

"And Edmund…." He called. Edmund turned around anxiously. The two brothers stared at each other for a moment before a smile slipped onto Peter's face.

"Try not to wander off." He joked. Edmund smiled back and continued towards the tent, knowing he had been forgiven. Peter looked back towards Aleisa. She simply rolled her eyes and smiled nonetheless. Boys….would it kill them to show some affection. Peter chuckled and the four of them returned to their tents to gather the rest of their weapons and clothes for the day's training.

Later that morning, after Edmund had gotten a couple hours of much needed rest and new clothes, the Pevenies and Aleisa all sat down to breakfast. They were sitting on cushions around a rather large, flat rock. Edmund was ravenous as he at yet another piece of toast. Lucy, who was sitting beside him, gave him an amused glance as she munched on her own breakfast.

"Narnia's not gonna run out of toast Ed." She pointed out jokingly. Edmund snorted out a laugh and the others giggled a little too, before going back to their meal.

"I'm sure they'll pack some for you on the journey back." Peter seriously pipped up. Those at the table turned to look at him. He was leaning against one of the rocky hillsides nearby, with his drink in hand. Aleisa frowned at the serious expression he was wearing. Journey back? What was he talking about?

"We're going home?" Susan asked, just as confused as she was.

"You are." Peter replied and stood up to walk towards them. Aliesa raised an eyebrow. Surely he wasn't including her in that statement, he had no authority over her anyway. The other siblings seemed to share her thoughts. They all watched in silence as Peter sat down in his spot beside Aleisa.

"I promised mum that I would keep you three safe. And ever since Aleisa joined, she's included in there too." He told them gently, trying to persuade them.

"But it doesn't mean I can't stay behind and help." He told them. Aleisa scoffed, directing the attention over to her.

"Well I'm not going. If you stay I'll stay. It's not like you are in charge of my care anyway." She hotly told him, determination in her voice. Peter shook his head. He knew that she would be the difficult one.

"They need us…all five of us." Lucy told her brother.

"Lucy it's too dangerous." Peter protested. He looked around the group hoping someone would take his side, but no one did.

"You and Aleisa almost drowned and Edmund was almost killed!" he reminded them. He couldn't bear it if any of them got hurt because he couldn't protect them.

"But we didn't! It's not just you taking on this load Peter. We need all of us." Aleisa protested. Peter let out a huff of frustration. Edmund however had a slightly haunted look on his face.

"Which is why we have to stay." He quietly told them. Everyone turned their head to look at the dark haired boy.

"I've seen what the White Witch can do. And I've helped her do it." He told them ashamed but it changed to determination as he looked at each of them.

"We can't leave these people behind to suffer for it!" he told them passionately. He wasn't about to let anyone pay for what he had helped cause. Peter looked at his brother with newfound pride. He was finally owning up and acting like a man. Susan looked away in thought before getting up.

"I suppose that's it then." She muttered.

"Where are you going?" Aleisa called after her. Susan picked up her bow and arrows before turning around with a smile.

"To get in some practice." She replied and walked off to the training fields. The rest of them looked at each other with excited smiles before leaping up to follow her example.

Over at the training fields Susan pulled back her bow and aimed at one of the targets while Lucy stood beside her watching curiously. Susan pulled back, aimed, and released the arrow….which landed on the outside of the middle ring. Lucy marveled at the shot, while Susan frowned at her lack of precision. Looking down mischievously at her dagger, Lucy swiftly pulled it out and threw it…hitting the dead center of the target. The two laughed in shock. Suddenly they were distracted by the sound of thundering hooves and happy shouting. Looking over they saw their brothers riding along the field locked in combat with their swords. Peter riding the unicorn again, and Edmund on a chestnut stallion. Behind them came Aleisa on her horse and a large centaur, both of them wielding twin swords. All four of them were laughing as they began to circle and actually parry each other in their designated teams. The new future kings and queen found that they could quickly pick up on the techniques and rather enjoyed the adrenaline rush of battle.

"Come on Ed, sword blade up like Orious showed us!" Peter called to his brother while laughing. Edmund fixed his sword and the two continued to duel.

"Now block!" the centaur called to Aleisa as he leaped over her. Aleisa quickly raised up her swords and deflected the man's swings. Susan and Lucy watched with wide smiles as the four continued to duel.

"Peter, Aleisa, Edmund!" they all heard a frantic shout calling. All of them paused and sheathed their weapons, watching as Beaver ran up to them. He ran under Edmund's horse, which spooked it a little causing the horse to rear up.

"Whoah horsie." Edmund comforted. The horse calmed down and turned his head to look at it's rider.

"My name is Phillip." He replied with slight irritation. Aleisa held her hand over her mouth and giggled at Edmund's sheepish face.

"Oh sorry.." he apologized.

"The Witch has demanded a meeting with Aslan. She's on her way here." Mr. Beaver told them urgently. The three on horseback looked to each other in alarm before galloping back towards camp.


	26. Chapter 26

All of Aslan's camp had gathered around the path through the middle of the camp. Slowly the crowd made a reluctant path as the White Witch was carried down on a small throne atop the shoulders of 4 ogre like creatures. Leading them was a small dwarf, announcing their arrival with a slight shrill to his voice.

"Make was for the Queen of Narnia!" he called as he made a path for his queen. At this proclamation many of Aslan's followers let out shout and murmurs of protest.

"Empress of the Lone Islands!" the dwarf continued. Eventually they made it to the very end of the camp where Aslan's tent was. The great lion was sitting outside of it, anticipating her arrival. Just as the White Witch was close the Pevensies and Aleisa all rushed forward and stood off to the side, near the tent. Aleisa swallowed a little when she first saw the woman. She was a bit frightening to look at with her thick white hair up in a tight bun, her pale white skin against her icy expression and dark eyes. She could understand why Edmund seemed so nervous about her being there. She wasn't alone, the other three who had never seen the Witch shared the same stunned expressions while Edmund looked slightly terrified. As the Witch's caravan approached Aslan met her gaze with a glare. He stood as the creatures set her throne down on the ground. Aleisa glanced over as Edmund nervously grabbed the hilt of his sword. She put a comforting hand atop of his and sent him a smile in assurance. He returned one but it came out as more of a grimace. Swiftly the Witch stood up and met Aslan's glare with one of her own. She gracefully walked toward the lion, as the camp fell silent. In passing she sent a menacing look towards Edmund who gulped. Aleisa's anger at the woman flared and she subtly placed herself between the two and sent a glare of her own towards the vile woman. The Witch smirked deviously and turned her head back around to face Aslan.

"You have a traitor in your midst Aslan." She told the lion with a taunting lilt to her voice. Edmund shifted on his feet nervously. The crowd murmured in a slight alarm and the Pevensies all sent their brother comforting looks. All had been forgiven on their part.

"His offense was not against you." Aslan wisely countered.

"Have you forgotten the laws on which Narnia was built?" she challenged. Aslan immediately let out an enraged roar that made her flinch, from what Aleisa noticed.

"Do not recite the deep magic to me Witch. I was there when it was written." He spat out at her. The humans off to the side glanced at him in slight shock. This was the first time they had heard this tone of voice from him. The White Witch smiled smugly and tilted her head back in an 'oh really?' fashion.

"Then you'll remember well that every traitor belongs to me." She countered easily. Aleisa and Peter glanced at each other in worry. Seeing his expression Aleisa subtly grabbed his hand in comfort. He immediately gripped back and ran this thumb over her knuckles, the gestured comforting both of them.

"His blood is my property." The witch continued. Peter couldn't stand it anymore. No one was going to touch his brother. He quickly drew his sword and pointed it at her.

"Try and take him then." He challenged and took a step forward. The witch merely scoffed and gave him a bored look.

"Do you really think that mere force will deny me my right?...little king." She told him demeaningly. Peter swallowed and glanced away. She was right, force wouldn't change the laws of the lands. The White Witch turned back to Aslan.

"Aslan knows that unless I have blood as the law demands…" she turned to face the rest of the camp.

"All of Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water." she proclaimed. The crowd gasped in worry. Once she got the response she wanted the witch whipped back around and pointed at Edmund.

"That boy will die on the stone table, as is tradition." She finished. The siblings all looked to each other with terrified faces at this news. Aleisa glared and stepped forward.

"Over my dead body." She growled protectively. Edmund's eyes widened at the fact that she would stand up for him like that. The witch smirked.

"Don't tempt me. That can be arranged too." She antagonized. Aleisa glared harder but was pulled back by the strong arms of Peter, who gripped her as if she would run at the woman at any second. Which she probably would have. Done with the extra taunt the woman turned back to address Aslan.

"You dare not refuse me." She told him.

"Enough." He calmly told her. Aleisa and the Pevensies looked to him with anticipation.

"I shall talk with you alone." He told her quietly and made his way inside the tent, the White Witch following behind. Suddenly the whole camp was quiet as the two leaders talked. Edmund sighed heavily and looked at the ground. Aleisa immediately put a hand on his shoulders, getting his attention.

"It's going to be alright Edmund. You'll see." She comforted. He gave her a small smile in thanks before everyone went back to their silent worrying. The meeting took a very long time, so while they waited the people outside began to sit down and murmur among themselves. The Pevensies and Aleisa sat down too but remained silent. Peter sat with his arm around Aleisa in a comforting manner, as he knew that she was just as worried as he was. The other siblings sat by them and played meaninglessly with the grass in front of them. Under normal circumstances they would have poked fun at the older two, but for obvious reasons they decided not to. After an hour or so they could finally hear the rustling of the tent flaps. Quickly everyone stood up and held their breath as they waited to hear what the conclusion was. The White Witch walked out first and wordlessly walked back to her portable throne. As Aslan came out a moment or two behind her, everyone looked to him for the verdict. He looked over at the group of humans. Aleisa grabbed both of the boys hands in comfort as the silence seemed to drag on forever.

"She has renounced her claim on the son of Adam's blood." Aslan finally told the crowd. Everyone let out a collective cheer and the Pevensies all turned happily to their brother. Aleisa was the first to embrace him in an excited hug and the others followed.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?" the witch called out among the cheering. At that Aslan let out an intimidating roar in her direction. She immediately plopped herself back down on the throne with hidden fear on her face. Everyone cheered again and Aleisa couldn't help but laugh. As the camp went into celebration Aleisa's eyes caught Aslans and she slowly dropped her elated smile. Something was off. Instead of the joy everyone else had, Aslan's eye were full of sadness. He glanced up at her briefly and slowly walked back into his tent. Aleisa couldn't take her eyes off his retreating figure. Why was he so sorrowful? She knew something was up that he wasn't telling them.


	27. Chapter 27

That night the three soon to be Narnian queens were fast asleep in their tent. However Aleisa wasn't the only one who noticed Aslan's strange mood earlier that day. Lucy soon woke up from her restless sleeping and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. With a sigh she sat up. When she did she noticed a large shadow walking by their tent. Immediately she knew who it was and wanted to follow, but not alone.

"Susan, Aleisa!" she small girl whisper shouted, waking the two up. With groggy expressions the girls looked over at her. Wordlessly Lucy got out of bed and started pulling on her shoes and belt with her weapons. The girls got the idea. Aleisa quickly followed her example and made sure all of them grabbed their cloaks as they walked out of the tent. Once outside Susan and Aleisa followed Lucy around to the side. It was dark out but they had a little bit of light to see from the moon and the torches around the camp. They walked around to the back of their tent, and there they saw the retreating figure of Aslan walking into the forest. With a curious look the three took off after him.

The giant lion padded silently through the woods while the three girls trailed a little ways behind him, careful not to make a sound. Aleisa led the way now and quickly directed them to a small patch of trees. Aslan stopped but didn't look up from the ground.

"Shouldn't you all be in bed?" he gently asked. The girls looked at each other with sheepish expressions, knowing they had been caught. Aleisa sighed and walked out into the open towards him, with the other two beside her. It was no use trying to hide now.

"We couldn't sleep." Lucy told him.

"Please Aslan, couldn't we come with you." Aleisa gently inquired. They all wanted to go with him and see what was happening. Aslan sighed and looked over at them as they approached.

"I would be glad of the company for a while." He told them. The tone in his voice bothered Aleisa a bit and she walked up close to his side as a source of comfort. Susan and Lucy also picked up on his solemn mood and they held on to his mane as they walked on either side of him.

"Thank you." He appreciated their gestures. The girls didn't say anything but walked in silence as Aslan started off again. After many minutes of walking Aslan stopped and turned to the three of them.

"It is time. From here I must go on alone." He told them gently, but with a determined gleam in his eye. Susan and Lucy let go of his mane and walked over to Aleisa's side, each of them wearing confused expressions.

"But Aslan?..." Susan started to protest but was cut off.

"You have to trust me. This must be done." He told them, giving each a stern look.

"Thank you Susan. Thank you Lucy. Thank you Aleisa….and farewell." He told each of them before turning away and walking deeper into the woods alone. Susan put a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder as he walked out of sight. Aleisa however was not satisfied with this, sure there was something they could do and she needed to find out what was going on.

"Come on." She gestured to a side path with her head and took off silently. Susan glanced at Lucy before following her. Eventually Lucy took off after the other two. Silently they crept up to the side of a small cliff that overlooked a small plain. As they took a seat safely behind some stones their eyes widened at what they saw before them. It was a stone arc of some sort overtop of a stone table, complete with a platform and even stone steps leading up to it. All throughout and around the stone setup was torches being held by a multitude of vile and evil looking creatures. There was no doubt that they were part of the Witch's army. What was Aslan doing in a place like this? As she scanned Aleisa couldn't shake the feeling that it looked as if they were setting up for a ritual. She didn't like the looks of this one bit.

They saw Aslan making his way up the steps towards the main platform through the sea of evil creatures. As he walked they continued to jeer and taunt the lion, but shied away any time he made eye contact. He remained silent as he regally ascended the stairs. Aleisa and Susan shared frightened glances. At one point an ugly human vulture thing landed in front of Aslan and hissed. Aslan paid no attention and continued walking, which frightened the thing and it flew away with a wail. As Aslan came closer to the table they saw another familiar figure appear at the top of the archway. Aleisa took in a sharp breath as she laid eyes on the White Witch. However this time she was different. Instead of her usual white dress, she wore a dark brown one shouldered dress. Her long hair was up in a ponytail and she held a large dagger in her hand. Aslan came to a stop at the base of the platform and simply looked at her.

"Behold the great lion." The witch snidely commented. All the creatures around her started laughing and jeering again. But still Aslan said nothing. The three girls could only watch, frozen in their hiding spots. A large black Minotaur, which Aleisa guessed was the general based on his weapons and attire, approached Aslan carefully. He walked around to Aslan's side and poked him with the sharp end of his battle axe. Aslan snarled but didn't retaliate. The general looked over at the White Witch, who gave him a nod. The Minotaur took his axe in both hands and slammed Aslan onto his side. Lucy gasped and grabbed Aleisa's arm. The vile crowd cheered again as they watched Aslan simply lie there submissively. Aliesa's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. She knew he had great power and they all feared him.

"Why doesn't he fight back?" she whispered to no one in particular. The two sisters glanced at her but said nothing. They were just as confused as she was.

"Bind him." The Witch ordered. Immediately many of the ugly creatures lept into action and began to tie the lion's paws together, along with his jaws and torso. Aslan didn't struggle as they tied the ropes painfully around him.

"Wait" the witch ordered. The girls held their breath anxiously.

"Let him first be shaved." She told the crowd with a smirk. The dwarf that accompanied her to the camp eagerly rushed forward and shaved off the first piece of his mane. He raised the hair up in triumph, releasing a loud cheer from the rest of the crowd who all joined in to shave off the lion's mane. Aleisa struggled not to let tears flow as she watched them ultimately humiliate the lion she had quickly grown fond of.

"Bring him to me." The evil woman ordered. The now maneless lion was dragged harshly over the smaller set of steps and onto a stone table before the White Witch. The crowd was again thrown into obnoxious cheering. Suddenly the Witch threw her hand out to silence them, which they did immediately. Aleisa swallowed at the unnerving silence that had suddenly come upon them. The three of them looked at each other nervously before they continued watching. Eerily the banging of a stick began. Followed by another, and eventually the whole area was filled with the rhythmic beat. The crowd began murmuring in excitement, knowing what was coming next. The White Witch leaned down and spoke to Aslan in a low voice.

"You know Aslan, I'm a little disappointed in you. Did you honestly think that you could save the human traitor?" She questioned him. The girls looked at each other in slight shock. That's why she didn't come after Edmund, Aslan had offered to take his place.

"You are giving me your life and saving no one. Huh…..so much for love." She mused and stood up straight again to address the crowd around her.

"Tonight, the deep magic will be appeased. But tomorrow we will take Narnia FOREVER!" she held out the last word as a form of battle cry. The crowd cheered in response. However Aleisa's eyes narrowed, there was no way she was going to let that vile woman corrupt the good in Narnia….not without a fight at least. The White Witch smugly smiled down at the bound lion in front of her.

"In that knowledge despair…" she taunted and raised the knife high above her head.

"And die!" she yelled out and plunged the knife into his heart. A collective gasp left the three girls as they watched it happen. Slowly the breath left Aslan and he moved no more. The tears that were being held back were now flowing as Aleisa let out a silent sob. Susan and Lucy quickly followed and the three clutched onto each other, bearing the grief together. Aleisa was so heartbroken, she couldn't describe how lost she felt now that the leader was dead. What could they do now, the heart and soul of the Narnian people was gone.

"The great cat is dead!" the Witch cheered, rallying a loud cry from her troops. With a sigh she looked over towards her general.

"Prepare your troops for battle." She ordered. The beast nodded and let out a loud bellow.

"However short it may be.." she muttered to herself as she looked upon the corpse of Aslan. The girls looked over in sorrow and could do nothing but sit there until all of the opposing army had cleared out of the area. Now what was going to happen?

Once everyone was gone the three quickly rushed down to the stone platform and slowly approached. Lucy immediately rushed up the stairs and sat next to the dead lion while Susan and Aleisa stood off to the side. Lucy sat down with a sad expression, still not believing her eyes. Susan let out another sob now that she was close up and Aleisa put an arm around her in comfort. She kept a strong expression, trying to bury her sorrow. Someone had to step up and be the strong one. Plus Aleisa wasn't one who liked to cry in front of others. Lucy stared down at his unmoving face and thought of something. She quickly reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled out a crystal bottle of her fire flower juice. Lucy began to unscrew the lid when Susan gently stopped her.

"It's too late…..he's gone." She told her sister with a teary whisper. Lucy tried to hold back another set of tears and put the bottle away. Pulling away from Aleisa's grasp she walked up the side stairs and sat on the other side of Aslan's body. Aleisa remained where she was and wrapped her arms around herself. Lucy sorrowfully looked over at her sister once she was seated.

"He must have known what he was doing." Aleisa muttered brokenly. She fully trusted in his judgment and was too wise to not have known. The other two nodded slightly before bursting into broken sobs again as they rested their heads on his torso. Susan reached over and rubbed Lucy's arms as they cried together. Suddenly the three heard the sound of squeaking and snapping. Looking up Susan noticed some mice chewing at the roped binding Aslan.

"Get away, get away all of you." She shooed. Lucy watched them before stopping her.

"No, look." She softly told her older sister. Susan watched as the mice started breaking the ropes. Getting the idea the three of them worked the ropes off of his mouth. Lucy gently stroked the indentations left on his nose from how tightly he was bound. Getting her wits about her Susan remembered something.

"We have to tell the others" she reminded them.

"But we can't just leave him." Lucy protested.

"Lucy there's no time. They need to know." Susan countered logically.

"I'll go." Aleisa muttered and wiped away the tears that she refused to let fall. They both looked over at her worriedly.

"But it's so far." Lucy protested. Aleisa chuckled wryly and looked up at the girls.

"It's the least I can do, you two stay here while I go tell them. At least I'll feel like I'm doing something." She gently explained. In reality she needed a task to get her mind off of the pain she was feeling. The other two nodded reluctantly and watched as the raven haired girl took off into the forest.

Running blindly back through the forest with tear blurred eyes Aleisa paused for a moment. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going anymore. Just then a soft breeze blew by and a few leaves touched her cheek. She rubbed the place in confusion at the almost humanlike gesture. Looking around she noticed the winds blowing several leaves and flower petals down a particular path to her left. Aleisa smiled a little in wonder, the trees were helping her find her way. With another burst of speed she took off after them.

Eventually the tired girl made it back to the camp. It was still dark with only a few hours left until dawn. Everyone was asleep. She quickly made her way toward the boy's tent and burst in, startling the two. Peter quickly pulled out his sword from beside him and looked wide eyed at the entrance. He slowly lowered his weapon when he saw Aleisa's distraught expression and her slightly heavy breathing. Edmund looked at the two curiously, still a bit dazed from waking up.

"Aleisa what's wrong?" Peter quickly asked and lept out of bed to embrace her. She sniffled a little and just held onto him in a hug. Peter immediately hugged back but didn't say anything. The two brothers looked at each other in concern. It wasn't usual for her to be this upset.

"I have bad news." She eventually muttered out into his chest. Peter and Edmund glanced at each other nervously.

Dawn had quickly arrived and the camp was alive with activity and preparation for the oncoming battle. Peter solemnly walked out of Aslan's now empty tent. After Aleisa had explained everything she had seen, Peter sent her off to get dressed and calm down a little while he went to double check. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, it was just that the news was so shocking that he had to see it for himself. Stepping out of the tent he looked over to the other three people by the table with the map on it.

"You're right, he's gone." Peter slowly admitted and leaned on the edge of the table. He looked down at the pieces of red on the map, representing the Narnian army. Who was going to lead them now? No one spoke for a moment, they just glanced at each other unsure of what to say.

"Then you'll have to lead us." Edmund told his brother. Peter swallowed and looked over at him with obvious doubt across his features.

"There's an army out there and it's ready to follow you." Edmund insisted seriously. He knew what his brother was capable of, even if Peter didn't.

"I can't." Peter told them. Aleisa put her hand over Peter's clenched fist that was on the table.

"Aslan believed you could, and so do I." She told him seriously. Peter looked over at her with almost slight shock. He knew Aslan thought he could but hearing Aleisa actually tell him that she did too gave him newfound confidence. He wasn't going to let them down.

"The Witch's army is nearing, Sire. What are your orders?" Orious asked with no trace of doubt in the new leader. Peter looked back down at the map and sighed. He had never done this before, but he knew someone who might have at least seen it done.

"Your father works in the war office right?" Peter asked looking to Aleisa. She scrunched her brow in confusion.

"Yes." She told him hesitantly.

"So are you familiar with maneuvers and battle plans?" he asked. She looked up at him with a small smile, now she knew what he was implying. Aleisa looked back down at the map with a sigh.

"Well I'm no expert but I think between the two of us, we can manage." She assured with an excited smile. Peter smiled back. That's just what he was hoping for. The two turned to the map and started planning with the help of Edmund and Orious.


	28. Chapter 28

Soon enough the time for battle had arrived. As planned the two armies were to meet on the large stretch of field in the midst of large hills on either side. In the front of the army was Peter atop his white unicorn with Orious on one side and Aleisa on the other. All of them battle ready, along with the rest of their army behind them. Orious in his helmet with only a noseband on the middle of his face, leaving the rest open and his metal chest plate for his torso, while Peter had on the classic Knight's armor and helmet that would be seen in the middle ages. Aleisa had on her special made armored dress. It was much shorter, giving her room to move and had her hair up in a high ponytail, opting to not wear a heavy helmet. Edmund looked down from the top of the hillside, where he was stationed to direct the archers. The three in the front looked over as one of the griffon scouts landed gracefully beside them.

"They come your Highnesses, in numbers and weapons far greater than our own." The griffon told them breathlessly.

"Numbers do not win a battle."Orious wisely countered. The other two sighed.

"No, but I bet they help." Aleisa nervously muttered. Sure she had read about battle and heard about it from her father, but actually being in one was a totally different feel. Her gaze looked forward as they heard the sound of a horn blowing in the distance. Moment later they could see the figure of the Witch's general standing on the large rock. He let out a mighty bellow, signaling for their advance. The Narnian army fidgeted nervously at the mere sight of the huge army before them. One the army had made a dark line across the horizion of the field, another figure came up onto the rock. Aleisa's face hardened as she saw a large chariot pulled by two polar bears carrying the face of someone she hated. The White Witch was standing atop the chariot in a long chainmail dress, adorned with a mantle of Aslan's mane. Aleisa held in a growl at the sight of it. How dare she use something like that to flaunt her power at the Narnian army. She wasn't worthy to wear anything that came from Aslan. Both armies were at a standstill, sizing each other up as they stared across the field before them. Peter took in a deep breath and looked up behind him at his brother. Edmund sent him a sure nod. He was ready to follow. Peter looked back at the soon to be battle field and drew his sword. He held it out in front of him signaling that they were ready. The Narnian army got into position and cheered as they were prepared to fight.

"I have no interest in prisoners. Kill them all." The Witch told her general. The minatour bellowed out another battle cry, making the opposing army cheer in response. With another bellow the army started making their way towards the Narnians.

Peter held fast as he saw them begin to approach. Edmund and Aleisa both drew their swords as they watched and mentally prepared for their own attack. With a nod from Peter Aleisa thrusted one of her swords in a forward motion, signaling for the first line of attack. From above a swarm of griffons flew forward, carrying large boulders to drop on the army.

As he ran the general minataour saw the creatures approaching.

"Look to the skies!" he warned. The archer dwarves looked up and started shooting arrows as they ran. The griffon swarm continued and dropped their loads onto the army below them killing the creatures that it landed on. In addition many of them were shot down by arrows from below. The first casualties of the battle, was all Aleisa could think as they watched from the rocks. The griffons drew back towards the rocks once they were finished, signaling for the next line of attack. The Witch's army continued drawing nearer. Peter looked to Orious.

"Are you with me?" he asked his general. Orious looked him in the eyes and without hesitation answered him.

"To the death." He replied. Peter turned towards Aleisa, who had also heard the question.

"Always" she confirmed with a nod. Peter's heart swelled but he couldn't dwell on it too long. Turning back to the battle he took in another breath.

"For Narnia!" he called.

"And for Aslan!" Aleisa added beside him. On the last words the two thrusted out their swords and their horses reared up before taking off towards the army.

As the three galloped forward, leading the charge, the Narinians behind them quickly followed into battle. The big cats in the lead, followed by the centaurs with long lances, and lastly the fawns and other creatures. Peter held firm as he continued holding up his sword while riding out to meet the enemy. Aleisa reached back and pulled out her other twin sword, having them up and ready for when the two armies would clash.

With another bellow the Witch's general urged the rest of the army forward.

From atop the hillside, Edmund and the archers watched as the two masses of warriors drew closer and closer towards one another.

As Peter, Aleisa, and Orious galloped faster, the other centaurs soon caught up and the first line was just slightly behind them as they charged on. Aleisa could see the other army begininning to sprint as well to get to the battle faster. Seeing that the battle was close at hand, Peter pulled down the mask of his helmet. As the centaurs lowered their lances it was as if time slowed down. All she could hear was the sound of her beating heart in step with the sound of her horse's hooves.

 **BA-DUM** ….Orious whipped out his own set of dual swords.

 **BA-DUM** …Peter steeled himself, and readied his sword to strike and his shield ready to defend.

 **BA-DUM** …Aleisa poised her swords for battle while holding her wrist guards up defensively.

From all the adrenaline all sounds seemed to be drowned out as the armies became mere feet from each other.


	29. Chapter 29

With a mighty crash the two armies met. The big cats taking out those in the lead, swiftly followed by the centaurs and leaders yielding their swords. Aliesa and Peter worked together to take down any enemies between them as they struck and parried while riding through the crowd. Orious riding through and gracefully swinging his swords in deadly combinations, slashing every creature in sight. The Minotaur general tore through Aslan's soldiers as he raced toward the front of the battle where the three leaders where. After the initial clash had occurred the armies than began to fight their way through, both fighting to gain ground. Peter watched in a daze for a moment as he watched Aleisa unleash a new type of fury. She was graceful and swift on the battlefield and fought as such a powerful force while swinging her twin swords like she was born to yield them. It was a side of her that he had never seen. Something both inspirational and scary. He was glad to have her by his side as the two defended each other and tore down their enemies. The fierce battle for Narnia's fate had only begun.

Meanwhile the two Pevensie sisters had fallen asleep while mourning the loss of Aslan. As the sun's rays shone brighter down on them they both groggily stirred from their previous position of lying on Aslan's still body. Susan was the first to sit up. As she did she looked around, and saw the sun had come up. She knew that the battle was already going on and worried for her siblings and the girl that was quickly becoming like an older sister to her. Lucy felt Susan's arm leaver her, making her sit up too. She looked over at her sister before looking back down at the lion in sorrow. It had all been real. Aslan was still dead. Susan sympathetically smiled at her.

"We should go." She told Lucy in a soft voice before walking down the small stairs. Lucy said nothing and watched as her sister walked around to her side.

"He's so cold." She mumbled with sad eyes. Susan held out her hand and Lucy took it with a sigh while stepping down. Susan wrapped her arms around Lucy as they started walking away from the stone table. They paused and took one last glance back at the sad scene behind them. Susan tugged a little on Lucy to continue their journey. Suddenly a large thundering was heard and the ground shook beneath them. The girls stumbled by the force and crouched down on the steps to keep their balance. They watched as a crack formed beneath them. Following the crack Lucy looked back and her eyes widened in alarm at the sight.

"Susan!" Lucy got her sister's attention. Susan looked up at the stone table. Slowly they stood back up and walked over towards it. The once solid table was now cracked in half and the body of Aslan was missing.

"Where's Aslan?" Lucy asked. Susan didn't answer, seeing as she had no explanation for what just happened.

"What have they done?" Susan muttered in shock. She assumed that somehow the Witch had been behind this. But what it was and the reasoning behind it she did not know. The two of them glanced around at the cracked platform and table before them. Suddenly a bright burst of sunlight shone down and from it came a large silhouette. Their eyes widened and the let out a gasp as the form of a living Aslan walked out from under the archway. He was alive and looked like nothing had ever happened to him, full mane and all.

"Aslan!" the two cried out in joy as they raced towards him. Aslan walked down to meet them and chuckled as the two latched onto his mane.

"But we saw the knife…..the Witch…" Susan stuttered out in confusion.

"If the Witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, she might have interpreted the deep magic differently." Aslan explained and brought the girls around to the side of the stone table, where the deep magic writing was along the side of it.

"When a willing victim that has committed no treachery is killed in the traitor's stead, the stone table will crack and even death itself will turn backwards." He read off to them. Susan's face dropped as she remembered something.

"Aleisa sent the news that you were dead. Peter, Edmund, and Aleisa would have gone to war." Susan realized, knowing that without Aslan they would have taken over. Lucy reached down a whipped out her knife.

"We have to help them." She urgently told Aslan. The lion chuckled and put his paw over the dagger to lower it.

"We will dear one, but not alone. Climb on my back, we have far to go and little time to get there." He instructed and the girls obeyed without question.

"And you may want to cover your ears." He warned with a smile before letting out a mighty roar.

Back on the field the battle raged on. Bodies littered the field as friends and enemies fell. The constant sound of clashing metal and shouting rung in Aleisa's ears, giving her an adrenaline rush she had never expected.

The Witch watched from her chariot and seeing the bloodshed, she led the second wave of her troops into the battle.

Peter ran up in between Aleisa and a Minotaur on her backside. The beast swung at him but he blocked with his shield before slashing his sword across its chest. Looking up for his next opponent Peter's eyes caught the Witch's. She was heading straight towards him and Aleisa with nothing but wickedness in her eyes.

From atop the hillside, Edmund saw that wave of soldiers coming and rose his sword as a signal to the centaur beside him.

"Fire" he called. The woman picked up a flaming arrow and shot it out towards the center of the battle. As the arrow soared through the air is grew and morphed into a flaming phoenix. The bird let out a call and dove down towards the battlegrounds. With the tip of its wing it scorched the earth between the two armies, making a flaming barrier between them. Those of the Witch's army stopped and just watched the flamed before them, unable to move. Seeing this the Narnian army cheered in triumph. All except Peter and Aleisa. They could see the Witch heading towards the barrier and knew that the battle was far from over just yet. Peter lifted up his face mask to see better through the haze of the heat. Suddenly a burst of ice shot through the fire, dissipating it. The Witch continued on with her army in tow. Aleisa found the woman's eyes and unleashed an angry glare. Peter thought frantically for a moment and glanced at Aleisa. She caught sight of his movement and with a quick look at their situation, shot him a nod. Peter immediately wheeled his mount around.

"Fall back! Draw them to the rocks!" he called and put his facemask back on. The horn signaled and the Narnian troops turned to head back to the rocks.

"That's the signal." Mr. Beaver eagerly told Edmund and the two prepared the archers for battle.

Susan and Lucy were riding on Aslan's back as the lion ran across the lands of Narnia. As they flew by Susan glanced around and noticed that she wasn't familiar with the area.

"Where are we going?" she asked. She soon got her answer as Aslan ran over a hill and they could see the top of the Witch's castle. The two looked at each other in question when they saw their destination.


	30. Chapter 30

The Narnian troops continued their retreat back towards the rocks, where the other soldiers and the archers were. Edmund nervously watched for the right moment to give his signal. He raised his sword and the archers followed, ready to release. Once most of the Witch's troops were close enough he dropped his sword and a flurry of arrows rained down on them. Behind the troops the enemy dropped like flies from the arrows that were unleashed onto them. Peter, Aleisa and Orious were bringing up the rear of the army. Unknown to them one of the enemy archers had locked onto Peter. The dwarf released his arrow and shot the unicorn in the shoulder, effectively crippling it for a moment.

Peter felt his horse stumble and fall. The sudden momentum shot him off of his stead and sent him rolling over the rocky terrain. Peter landed with a hard thud onto his back, his helmet flying off. Aleisa heard the commotion and paused to look back.

"Peter!" she called out in alarm, seeing him writhe in pain on his back. She immediately jumped off her horse and raced towards him. Orious looked up to the rocks and stopped abruptly when he caught the express in of Edmund. The boy watched with wide, terrified eyes as his brother and the girl that stood up for him were stuck in the back with the opposing army closing in on them. Orious whipped back around to see his future king and queen a few yards behind them. Aleisa was sliding over to help Peter get back on his feet, unaware of the approaching army. From beside the centaur a rhino bellowed in preparation to defend them. Getting the message the two rode towards the oncoming mass, in order to defend their future rulers. When Oriuos said 'to the death' he truly meant it.

Peter blinked heavily as he felt Aleisa pull him to his feet. The impact had knocked the wind out of him and he was still recouping from it. Looking up his eyes widened as he saw the army and the Witch heading towards the two of them.

"What are you doing?" he frantically asked her while picking up his sword.

"I'm helping you, there's no way I'm leaving you behind." She told him with eyes that screamed 'don't you dare fight me on this.' The two of them stood to full height and stood together as they watched the enemy coming even closer. Even if they tried to run now, it would do no use. They would make their stand. However a sound from behind them caught their attention. Just as they started to turn they say Orious and the rhino charge past them, into the mass of soldier.

"Stop!" they both called out. They were going on a suicide mission to give them some extra time to run. Unfortunately there was nothing they could do but watch as they charged on. Peter was amazed and slightly guilty about how loyal the Narnians were and how strongly they already loved their future rulers.

The two charged on into the heat of battle and hit anyone coming near them. The rhino was the first to fall while Orious continued on, making a b-line towards the White Witch. Up ahead he spotted the opposing general and lifted up his swords towards the minotaur. The generals crashed into each other in combat and Orious slashed him out of the way. However the general latched on to his hindquarters. While Orious continued galloping he elbowed the beast on his back. When that didn't work he plunged his swords into the back of the beast with precision. The general fell off of Orious and collapsed onto the ground below. Now there was no one between him and the Witch. With a loud battle cry he pulled out his broadsword and leapt overtop of the woman, avoiding the bears in front of her. In the air he swiped at her neck, which she leaned backwards to dodge. The second he landed he turned right back around and leapt again. They parried and as he lifted his sword to kill her she whipped out her wand.

Peter and Aleisa's eyes widened in slight horror as a burst of bright magic shot out of the wand and turned Orious into stone.

At the Witch's castle Lucy ran through looking at all the stone statues of creatures that defied the White Witch. The castle itself was melting and all of the things inside of it were damp with melted snow. Lucy stopped in front of one creature and with pained eyes glanced back at her sister that was following behind her. How could someone do this to others? As she turned back, a familiar figure caught her eye. Lucy slowly approached the statue of a terrified fawn who looked in great pain. It was Mr. Tumnus. Susan followed her sister, watching as she walked around to fully look at the statue. Once Lucy got a good look at it she began to cry. Her first friend in Narinia had been turned to stone. Susan quickly wrapped her arms around the girl and spoke soothingly to her while planting a kiss on her head. Aslan then approached the statue and the girls watched him curiously. The lion breathed onto the statue and the girl's eye widened when they saw the stone hair move around like normal hair does. Aslan stepped back and Lucy watched the statue with wide eyes, as they heard the sound of cracking. Slowly the color of grey faded to reveal the skin tones of the faun. A smile broke onto Lucy's face when he had thawed enough to take in a gasp of air. With labored breaths he started to fall over from exhaustion when a small body raced over and lifted him up. The fawn slowly looked up and gazed upon the smiling face of Lucy Pevensie. The two laughed in elation and shock as they thought they would never see each other again. Lucy turned to her sister.

"Susan.." she started but Susan cut her off and gave the fawn a happy hug too.

"This is Mr. Tumnus." She concluded as the three smiled at each other. A voice from behind them brought them out of their moment.

"Now we must search the castle. Peter and Aleisa will need everyone we can find." Aslan told them as many other creatures began to thaw out around him. They were bringing another army to the battle hoping they would get back to them in time.


	31. Chapter 31

The Witch knocked over yet another statue of a warrior she had turned into stone. At this point she was trying to end the battle quicker, so turning the people into stone was the easiest way to get to the two teens that stood in her way. Peter and Aleisa glanced around at all the chaos of battle around them. Their smaller army was starting to feel the effects of fatigue and Aleisa swallowed as she saw many Narnian warriors falling in battle. She wasn't sure how much longer they could last. Their heads turned as they heard the sounds of griffins. The Witch also noticed. She looked up and saw two of the flying creatures heading towards her. She swiftly twirled her wand and sword in preparation for attack. Aleisa stared wide eyed as the woman quickly slashed one and in the same motion froze the other in mid-flight. The stone beast hit the rocks near them and Peter pulled Aleisa towards him to protect them both with his shield. They stood up and Peter made eye contact with the Witch who was now a few yards from them. The woman made her way towards them. Peter realized that the battle was going the way they had hoped, but he still had time to protect the people he loved. He quickly turned to Edmund who was fighting behind them.

"Edmund, there's too many! Get out of here!" Peter told his brother who looked at him in shock. However the battle was still going on around them, so Aleisa fended off an attacker on his back while Peter was busy.

"Get the girls and get them home!" he told his brother before holding up his shield to deflect a sword coming his way. Edmund stared at the two of them as they fought side by side. Beaver grabbed the boys hand and started to drag him away.

"You heard him, let's go!" Beaver shouted above the noise. With a reluctant expression Edmund started to follow. As Peter continued to fight he ended up back to back with Aleisa who was swinging her swords and deflecting hits viciously.

"Aleisa you need to get out of here too!" he turned his head to plead with her before whipping back around to slash down his opponent.

"What!?" she screeched and used both of her swords to knock out the minatour she had been fighting. Once there was no immediate threat she whipped around to look at him.

"Are you crazy? There's no way I'm leaving you behind!" she countered and threw up her arms to block an axe coming at her head. The two continued fighting and deflecting as they argued.

"Yes, you are! I'm not risking your life!" Peter countered as he spun around to fight off an ogre that was swinging at Aleisa's back. Aleisa shoved the creature that she was fighting away from her to catch her breath.

"Don't be stupid! I'm not about to let you die, just so you can be chivalrous! You're not the boss of me!" she protested heavily while unleashing her anger on the poor beast that had gotten too close to Peter while he was fighting another. Peter groaned again, partly due to fatigue and partly due to her stubborn nature. Peter shoved off the ogre and slashed the one Aleisa was dueling before grabbing her arm to face him.

"This isn't a debate. It's an order." He sternly told her. Aleisa glared back.

"Nothing you can say will persuade me. I'm with you till the end." She assured. Peter sighed and looked deeply into her eyes, seeing no hint of doubt. She was determined to keep to her word.

"Fine, but don't you die." He warned. Aleisa let out a small smile before whipping out her sword and deflecting a hit behind Peter's head.

"I don't plan on it." She quipped and barged right back into the fight.

Meanwhile Edmund had made it up to the top of the hill and looked back down. He stopped and stared as he watched the battle below. Peter was on the far side fighting off two opponents while Aleisa was a little ways away, fighting off her own challenger. On the opposite side of Aleisa, the Witch was quickly walking towards them, turning creatures into stone as she did. Edmund knew that she was intent on killing them and tried to think of something to do. He looked back down at the Witch and saw her wand in her hand. Edmund swallowed as a solution came to his mind. He whipped out his sword.

"Peter said to get out of here!" Beaver reminded the boy. Edmund looked back at the battle with a look of determination.

"Peter's not king yet." He countered before running back into the battle.

Across the way Peter continued to battle a large Minotaur, unaware that the Witch was swiftly approaching him. Aliesa sliced down her opponent and looked up to see her approaching. Her eyes widened as she followed the woman's line of sight to Peter who had no idea what was coming. Aleisa quickly darted forward, hoping to reach her before the Witch reached him. After getting closer, the woman raised up her wand towards Peter. As the magic light shot out of it Aleisa jumped in the way and lifted up her gauntlets in defense, praying that they would work. After a moment she slowly opened her eyes and glanced around to find herself unharmed. They worked against magic. Aleisa looked up again to see the Witch with a shocked expression that quickly morphed into a furious one. Aleisa quickly pulled out her twin swords and prepared herself for the attack. If she wanted Peter, the Witch was going to have to go through her. The White Witch hardened her face towards Aleisa and wielded her own sword, along with the wand. In a flash the two locked into combat and began dodging, blocking, and swinging at one another. Aleisa struggled against the challenge of parrying a sword while deflecting magical hits. She was tiring out and running out of other options. Suddenly Edmund leaped down from a ledge above with a battle cry. The Witch swiftly moved out from under him and glared. Seeing her distraction Aleisa quickly struck at the wand but the Witch caught her movement. However Aleisa managed to deflect the wand and lay it out in front of Edmund, who broke it with his sword. The blast from the impact caught Aleisa off guard and knocked her into the nearby rocks. She hit her head hard and was instantly unconscious.


	32. Chapter 32

The light from the wand breaking caught Peter's attention and he whipped around in time to see Aleisa fly into the rocks with Edmund and the Witch staring at it in shock. The Witch swung at Edmund, who deflected it upwards leaving his midsection open. She took her opening and stabbed him with the jagged edge of her broken wand. Edmund closed his eyes as intense pain overwhelmed him. All sound was blocked out, even the broken screaming of Peter who had witnessed it. The Witch pulled her wand out, watching him with cold eyes and left as he fell down limp.

That was the last straw. Peter's countenance changed to one of pure determination and fury. The White Witch had just taken out two people he loved, not knowing if they were dead or not. With a burst of energy Peter thrusted his sword into the creature he had just been fighting before pulling it right back out and charging towards the woman. The Witch saw his approach and casually picked up a stray sword on the ground. As Peter approached another Minotaur got between them but was knocked aside with one sweep of Peter's weapon. Nothing was stopping him this time. The Witch swung her weapons around as she prepared for the fight to come. In that moment Peter was thankful that he had done some training against Aleisa's twin swords, it would come in handy.

As he reached her Peter swung his sword high at her head, but she crossed her weapons in defense. He continued swinging at her but was brushed aside each time. She caught his sword between hers and pushed him backwards. In this moment she began to attack, with Peter blocking frantically. Using his shield against him she maneuvered her weapons in a way that propelled him onto his back. Peter groaned at the impact but quickly stood back up, facing the woman who was poised for another round. Peter glared at her and went into another series of parries and swipes at her. In a moment of hesitation the Witch thrusted both of her swords towards his neck. Peter leaned backwards to avoid them, stretching his sore back. When she pulled away Peter looked back and ducked at the headshot she took. Now the Witch was back on the offense. The two continued swiping and deflecting back and forth as they circled each other. Pushing away they both paused and resituated themselves, maintaining eye contact. Peter glared harshly at the woman who had caused so much pain for him. She merely smirked back, enraging Peter even more.

With a growl he swung again at her, still unable to land a good hit as she expertly deflected his frantic swings. She saw that his emotions were blinding him and took advantage. The Witch separated her weapons and began swinging on both sides, making it harder to protect himself. Suddenly a loud roar was heard from behind him. The two whipped around, pausing their battle. They both stood straight in shock as they saw the living form of Aslan atop one of the boulders, roaring proudly like a battle cry.

"Impossible…" the Witch muttered as she stood unmoving. Aslan let out another mighty roar as the new Narnian troops rushed to the aid of dwindling army down below. Peter smiled as he saw his two sisters leading the way. They were unharmed at least. Now another battle had begun, they could fight back and win.

While Peter was distracted the Witch attacked. She swung at his arm, making Peter reflexively swipe back as he tried to regain the upper hand. The Witch tirelessly swung at him, keeping him on the defense.

Meanwhile, Aslan sprinted in front of the Narnian reinforcements that followed, plowing down any of the Witch's army that remained.


	33. Chapter 33

The Witch spun around and swung again at Peter who deflected. However while he was focusing on the one sword, she quickly swung her other by his knee and took his legs out from under him. Leaving him defenseless on the ground. Without hesitation she pinned him to the ground by his arm, her sword penetrating his chain mail. Peter cried out in pain but refused to give up. Trying to finish him off she swung at his head. With the arm he had left Peter lifted up his shield to protect himself. He knew that this defense would only last him so long. She swiftly knocked it away from him. Now he had no chance. With wide eyes he looked up at her as she positioned herself to kill him.

Suddenly a roar sounded in front of them and Peter watched as Aslan tacked the Witch away from him. She landed with a hard thud which knocked the sword out of her hand. Now she was the defenseless one. Peter slowly pried the sword out of his arm and stood up to watch what would happen. As the lion stood over top of her he paused for a moment. After the moment was over he quickly killed the Witch, stopping her for good.

After gaining back his balance Peter quickly came to his senses and raced over to where Aleisa was lying. She still hadn't moved. He gingerly sat down beside her and rolled her over onto her back. Still no response. Peter swallowed thickly as tears threatened to escape. She can't be dead. She promised to stick with him.

"Aleisa?" he called out softly. Still nothing. Peter shifted next to her and shook her shoulder gently this time.

"Aleisa? Please wake up." He pleaded a little louder. He watched and waited for her to stir. After what seemed like an eternity Aleisa let out a muffled groan of pain. Peter let out a breathly laugh at the sound and watched intently as she slowly cracked open her eyes to see the face of Peter directly above her.

"Peter?" she questioned, trying to blink away the fuzziness. Peter laughed and pulled her up into a hug. She grunted at the sudden movement but hugged him back none the less.

"I thought you were dead." he muttered into her shoulder. Aleisa smiled gently at the obvious distress in his voice and pulled him back so she could look him in the eyes.

"No, I'm gonna stick around and cause some more trouble. I have a promise to keep after all." She reminded him. Peter beamed and she simply smiled back at him. The two turned their heads as they heard the sound of heavy footsteps walking towards them. Aslan looked at the two tiredly.

"It is finished." He told them. Peter pulled Aleisa up onto her feet and they both let out soft sighs of relief. Finally it was over.

"Peter! Aleisa!" the two whipped around to see Lucy and Susan running towards them. Peter smiled as his youngest sister barreled into him and he embraced her tightly. Susan quickly hugged Aleisa before glancing around and noticing someone missing. Her smiled immediately dropped.

"Where's Edmund?" Susan frantically asked, looking to Peter. His eyes widened as he remembered what had happened. Peter took off towards the spot where Edmund had fallen, the girls rushing behind.

Edmund laid there on the grass, gasping for shallow breaths. A weak dwarf slowly made his way over towards him, hoping to at least kill one of the rulers. However just as he raised his axe Susan whipped out her bow and shot him, killing the dwarf instantly. She quickly rushed towards her dying brother and knelt by his head. Peter, Lucy, and Aleisa followed after and sat around the boy. Aleisa reached up and quickly untied his helmet to remove it in hoped of getting him more oxygen. It didn't seem to help any. Susan urgently looked over to her sister that was already pulling out her healing cordial. Lucy leaned forward to drop some of the liquid into Edmund's mouth while the others watched with terrified and teary expressions. As the drop slid down his throat Edmund's breathing stopped completely and he became still. Aleisa swallowed back a sob and turned to bury her face into Peter's shoulder. Peter continued watching his brother, hoping that somehow they weren't too late. He wasn't giving up just yet, it was his brother. After another few seconds of silence the Pevensie siblings had silent tears streaming down. It seemed that they were indeed too late and they had lost their brother. Peter swallowed thickly, thinking about all that he wanted to say and regretting some of the things that he had said. He would do anything to get his brother back.

As everything seemed hopeless, they all heard a small cough. Aleisa turned back to look at him curiously. They watched as Edmund's breathing evened out as he continued letting out small coughs in between. Peter leaned forward in anticipation. Edmund slowly opened his eyes and all around him let out happy breaths of relief. Edmund looked around at the other four before letting out a small smile. Peter was the first to reach out and draw him into a fierce hug which Edmund returned. Aleisa smiled softly at the two, seeing both of them holding back tears. They truly loved each other no matter what they said or did. They were brothers after all. After Peter let go he held Edmund at arm's length.

"When are you going to learn to do as you're told?" he asked in a joking manner, elated to have his brother still alive. Edmund smiled mischievously up at his brother. The two laughed as the Pevensies piled in for a group hug. Aleisa sat back at first, not wanting to impose but Peter reached his arm out to her. She gently took in and was flung into the hug with the rest of them. After a few moments of silence they all let go and looked over to where Edmund was now staring. Over at the lion that was very much alive, to his, Peter's and Aleisa's surprise. Aslan stood next to a statue and blew on it, magically unfreezing the creature. Lucy thought for a moment and reached over to grab her healing cordial. She looked between it and Aslan for a moment, knowing what to do. With a smile she jumped up and started running around, healing those that she could. It was time to start the healing process, to get Narnia ready for the new era.


	34. Chapter 34

The crystal blue waters rippled as the mermaids below splashed in and out of them with excitement. The day that the new rulers of Narnia would be crowned had come. Peace in Narnia had finally arrived. Above them on the Cliffside castle of Cair Paravel, a multitude of creatures all throughout Narinia had gathered to witness the coronation of the Kings and Queens. The horns blew as the royals made their way down the aisle toward the five thrones before them. Aslan walked in between the group, separating the queens from the kings. They all had on different variations of silver clothing but each wore a different colored cloak. Lucy in the red, Susan in the dark blue, Aleisa in the royal purple, Peter in the gold, and Edmund in the silver. As they had practiced, each of the rulers walked down with an air of confidence and composure. Aleisa smiled up at Orious who was now unfrozen, the two had grown close during their training and after the battle. He reminded her a lot of her own father.

As the group reached the stairs, they paused and took in the beauty of the thrones before them. Then as one they all moved up in sync and went to stand in front of their throne. Aleisa and Peter in the center, with the siblings on either side of them. Aslan turned to address the multitude.

"To the Glistening Eastern Sea, I give you Queen Lucy. The Valiant." Aslan began. Lucy's eyes widened in happiness as she saw Mr. Tumnus walk up with the Beavers to hand them their crowns. He gently picked up her silver crown of leaves and subly winked as he set it on her head.

"To the Great Western Wood, King Edmund. The Just." Edmund kneeled to let Tumnus put a silver crown upon his head. He beamed over at the others in excitement. They all just smiled back in amusement.

"To the Radiant Southern Sun, Queen Susan. The Gentle." Tumnus placed a golden crown of stars upon her head.

"To the Majestic Lone Islands, Queen Aleisa. The Truehearted." Aleisa was given a crown of pearls.

"And to the Clear Northern Sky, King Peter. The Magnificent." Aslan finished as Peter was given a golden grown. The five of them then took a few steps back and seated themselves upon the thrones. Aslan turned to face them.

"Once a King or Queen of Narinia, always a King or Queen of Narnia." He told them as they all shot proud smiles in his direction.

"May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens." He finished and turned back around to the crowd before him.

"Long Live King Peter. Long Live Queen Aleisa. Long Live Queen Susan. Long Live King Edmund. Long Live Queen Lucy." The shouts began. Aleisa glanced over to the side and chuckled a little at the Beavers who were clapping rather enthusiastically for them. The new rulers all glanced over at each other. They had finally begun their reigns as the rightful rulers of Narnia.


	35. Chapter 35

**[2 years later]**

The past two years had been full of adjustment to the whole royal life. People waiting on you hand and foot, keeping up appearances, balls, treaties ect….. Peter had adjusted to it quite well actually. Being a King suited him and he did a great job of it. Even though he was the High King he was thankful for the assistance of his siblings and Aleisa. They always had his back and the five of them made a good team. Edmund and Peter had mended their bond and now were close as two brothers should be. Susan and Lucy had also grown closer to each other. Then there was Aleisa…..Peter's affection for her had only grown in the time they had known each other. She was truly his other half. Peter spent almost every waking hour thinking about her and even dreamt about her too. He had it bad. Currently Peter stood on a balcony overlooking the vast gardens of Cair Paravel. That wasn't all he was looking at though. Over under a gazeebo was a group of nobles from various parts of Narnia. With them was Aleisa, which was the focal point of Peter's tender gaze. He admired how well she was able to keep the peace with all the differing types of creatures and people. She was the epitome of what a strong queen should be. The people adored her and her strong presence coupled with her gentleness and compassion, despite her unqueenly-like temper. Aleisa was everything Peter could ever imagine having in a significant other. However she wasn't his at the moment. Despite growing in confidence over the years, he was still far too bashful around her to ever ask to court her.

"You're drooling again." Came a voice from behind him. Peter jumped and spun around to face his brother. He had grown much taller in the past years and his hair had lengthened too. Edmund laughed at his brother's reaction while Peter growled.

"I was not." He promptly countered, turning back to look over at the small gathering. Edmund came to stand beside him.

"You've got it bad, Peter." Edmund playfully pointed out. He wasn't stupid. The love that Peter had for that girl was painfully obvious. As was Aleisa's love for him. Unfortunately the only two who never picked up on it were….Peter and Aleisa.

"I do not." Peter grumbled.

"Peter you've fancied her ever since you set eyes on her in the train. And you follow her around like a lost puppy whenever you two are in the same room." Edmund told his brother. Peter looked over and shoved his brother who tottered a bit from the sudden force.

"Bugger off." Peter mumbled with a small smile. Edmund just laughed at how he was trying to avoid this conversation.

"What's the problem? You like her….she likes you….." Edmund trialed off giving him a pointed look. Peter sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just….haven't found the right moment to ask her." Peter explained. Edmund rolled his eyes at his lame excuse.

"You both live here. How is there not a right time? It's not like she is away most of the time." He pointed out sassily. Peter groaned in frustration.

"I just…..I can't. Every time I get close to asking she looks at me with those sea green eyes my brain shuts off and I turn into a blabbering idiot." Peter confessed. Edmund gave him a sympathetic look. Aleisa was the only person who had this effect on Peter. Calm, cool, and collected Peter turns to mush from her gaze. He truly was whipped. Edmund didn't mind though, he and Aleisa got along splendidly and they quickly became fast friends. Same with all the other siblings.

"Don't worry. You'll spit it out one of these days." Edmund assured before walking back inside to get ready for the ball coming up in a few hours.

"You're such a great help." Peter sarcastically called after him, only to receive an echoing laugh from Edmund as he kept on walking. Peter sighed and after a moment of silence he walked inside too.

Aleisa was chatting away with some of the nobles that had come to visit for the semiannual ball that the royals held. It was a way to keep the leaders of the regions in good spirits and have somewhat constant contact with each other.

"So High Queen Aleisa, when are you and High King Peter going to start courting?" The Lady Amara asked her. She was a dark skinned centaur with flowing chocolate hair that went down to her waist. Aleisa chocked on her tea that she had just sipped.

"What?!" she asked with a deep blush. The nobles laughed at her reaction.

"Your majesty, no offense but it's quite obvious to everyone that you two fancy each other tremendously. I honestly don't know how you could miss the adoration in his eyes whenever he looks your way." Amara gushed which was joined by multiple murmurs of agreement and even wistful sighs as the younger women cooed over how romantic the whole situation was.

"Is it really that obvious?" Aleisa asked sheepishly. She hadn't realized that she was so transparent with her emotions. Over the past couple years she had become even more entranced by Peter. He had come into his own and turned into a natural ruler. She always knew he would but actually seeing it made her heart swell with pride and affection. The women around her let out chuckles of amusement at her bashful reaction. Before anyone else could say anything Susan made her way over towards the group.

"I'm sorry to intrude but it's almost time for the ball. I figured everyone would like a good amount of time to get ready. And Queen Aleisa has other matters to attend to." Susan reminded with a small smile. Aleisa sighed and closed her eyes. She totally forgot about the documents she was supposed to help approve.

"Thank Aslan for you Susan. You keep my head on straight sometimes." Aleisa chuckled. All the nobles stood up and bowed politely to the High Queens as they excused themselves. The queens linked their arms together as they chatted quietly while walking back towards Cair Paravel.

"I can't thank you enough for your impeccable timing." Aleisa told her friend with a relived sigh. Susan chuckled.

"Why is that?" she asked with a small smile. Aleisa blushed and avoided eye contact.

"Nothing I care to talk about." She muttered out. Susan was just as bad as the others when it came to her and Peter. Susan looked at her reaction and logically deduced that it was about her older brother.

"Oh, everyone else is adamant about you and Peter too huh? I don't blame them." Susan giggled. Aleisa blushed again and lightly smacked her arm.

"You are not helping." She giggled back. Susan sighed dramatically and the two laughed as they made their way in to take care of official business.

After a few hours of work and preparation for the ball had passed, everyone in the palace was ready. Like they usually did, all three queens met up in Susan's room before everything started so they could make last second adjustments. Susan was sitting in front of the mirror while one of her ladies in waiting worked on putting some more pearls in her hair.

"Oh Susan you look lovely." Lucy excitedly commented. She was still the carefree and kind girl that she was only a couple years ago. Even though she had physically grown she still retained her childlike innocence and positivity.

"Thanks Lu. You look beautiful also." Susan told her. Lucy beamed as she cared a lot about what her sister thought. Aleisa made her way into the room and both sisters turned towards her. They both beamed and took in how ravishing she looked today. Her deep blue dress was cinched in all the right places and flowed from her hips elegantly. The sleeves were off the shoulder and the bell like ends draped down her arms delicately.

"Oh Aleisa you look absolutely fantastic!" Lucy gushed. Aleisa let out a nervous but thankful chuckle at her excitement.

"Thanks Lucy." She walked over and hugged the younger girl who returned it.

"Peter won't be able to keep his eyes in his head when he gets one look at you tonight." Susan commented with a sly smile. Aleisa sent a playful glare her way while Lucy giggled. She thought the whole thing was so romantic.

"Oh Aleisa he just has to ask to court you after tonight. He's already in love with you." Lucy added with a pointed look. Aleisa glanced between the two of them with a blush.

"Oh I don't think so, there's many other women that he would be interested in." she quickly dismissed. Peter certainly would pay more attention to those prettier than she. The two sisters gave her a look of unbelief.

"Trust us Aleisa, we have known him all our lives. He only gets flustered around the girl he likes and when he's with you he becomes extremely flustered." Susan assured her. Aleisa never noticed that he was ever flustered. Perhaps it was because she was just as bad and payed more attention to her babbling when she was with him. Before she could protest one of the maids came into the room.

"Excuse me your majesties, but everyone is ready in the main hall." She kindly informed them. They all thanked her and made their way to the staircase to meet up with the boys for their grand entrance.

When they arrived at the entrance Peter and Edmund were there waiting for them. As Susan and Lucy expected, when Peter saw Aleisa his heart stopped and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Sure he had seen her in other gowns for special events but this one was by far his favorite. Aleisa blushed and ducked her head to hide her face a little when she saw Peter's gob smacked expression. They all walked over to each other and lined up for when they were to be announced. Peter held out his arm for Aleisa to take, which she did with a small smile at him. Peter couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"You look beautiful." Peter whispered to her with sincerity. Aleisa looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Thank you Peter, you don't look so bad yourself." She told him with a smirk. Peter chuckled to cover up how flustered she made him. The other three siblings watched the two of them interact with knowing smiles. They couldn't wait for Peter to just ask her, they all loved her and the chemistry between them was obvious to everyone. Soon enough the trumpets sounded and the High Kings and Queens of Narnia were announced and made their way into the ball.

A few hours into the night Peter was standing off to the side by his brother. It was quite tiring to be hosts and they needed a small break. Peter was watching as a bunch of different men flocked around Susan and Aleisa. They were by far two of the most beautiful women in the room and were notorious for their beauty all throughout Narnia. Just knowing that other men were trying to win Aleisa's affection bothered Peter and even made him angry. As he stared h,e had a small scowl on his face which Edmund picked up on. He chuckled and shook his head. Peter noticed and turned his attention to Edmund.

"What?" he asked with a curious smile.

"You! You get all worked up over men flocking around her as you just stand here doing nothing about it. You and I both know that you can have her be spoken for instead of being single." Edmund told him while glancing back over at his sister and friend. Peter let out a huff of irritation. Edmund was right, as usual, and Peter knew that all he had to do was start courting her and he wouldn't really have this problem. He watched as one of them kissed her hand alluringly and he couldn't handle it anymore. Peter was going to do something about it. With an encouraging nod from his brother he walked over toward the group. Even though he walked over with a confident gait, on the inside he was a nervous wreck. What was he supposed to even say?! When he walked over most of the eyes turned his way.

"Excuse my intrusion but could I steal High Queen Aleisa for a moment?" he asked the group. Of course the gentlemen nodded and Aleisa immediately took his arm to walk with him. If she was honest, she was grateful that he had walked over and saved her from all the attention. Peter directed them to a quiet balcony down the hallway as he tried to come up with something to say to her. She let go of his arm and quietly watched him as he nervously fidgeted with his hands not looking at her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly. Obviously something was on his mind and she wondered if something had gone wrong. Peter let out a nervous laugh and looked back at her.

"Yes….everything is quite alright….I'm just rubbish at this." He admitted and turned towards her. She looked at him curiously, not picking up on what he wanted to say.

"Okay….." she said unsure.

"I'm just going to spit it out." Peter blurted and let out a sigh, rubbing his hand down his face. Aleisa gave him an encouraging nod and listened intently. What could have him all worked up like this? He walked over and held her hands in his.

"Aleisa, ever since I can remember in the time we have known each other I have felt this sort of connection with you. Something about you just sent my heart racing and I wanted to get to know everything about you. You are so beautiful and humble and a brilliant ruler…." Aleisa couldn't help but blush and send him a smile.

"Over these past few years I have come to know you much better as a person. You are by far one of my best friends and I wouldn't have it any other way. But I've become rather fond of you in more than a friendship kind of way." Her eyes widened and she continued listening with her heart racing. Is he trying to say what she thinks he is? Peter let out another sigh and gave her a sheepish grin.

"What I'm trying to say is….Aleisa, would you allow me to court you?" he asked her with a nervous smile. Aleisa beamed and she laughed in utter joy. Without saying anything she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stumbled back a bit, caught off guard by the sudden movement, and held her back tightly.

"So can I take that as a yes then?" he asked with a chuckle. She pulled back and beamed up at him.

"Of course yes! I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather be with." Aleisa told him. He sent her a winning smile and leaned in to give her a kiss. She immediately started kissing back and they both smiled into it. Unbeknownced to them, the other three Pevensie children were watching with wide smiles as they spied on them from the doorway.

"Well it's about time." Edmund whispered to his sisters with a playful tone. The two of them giggled quietly before heading back to the party so the new couple could have some privacy.


	36. Chapter 36

**[1 year later]**

Today was the day. Peter and Aleisa had waited for this moment ever since they had ran into each other again in Narnia. Today was one of the biggest celebrations in Narnian history. Today was High King Peter's and High Queen Aleisa's wedding day. Just a few months ago Peter had proposed to her and since then it had been a whirlwind of preparations. The couple couldn't be any happier though. Now they would spend the rest of their lives completely devoted to one another.

On one end of the castle Aleisa was in a special changing room, getting ready for her day.

"Oh Aleisa I'm so excited for you!" Lucy squealed in delight. Susan and Aleisa chuckled at her excitement. She had asked the sisters to be her bridesmaids. Aleisa smiled broadly at her.

"I'm quite excited myself." She confessed to her soon to be sisters. At that moment a bunch of maids entered the room to help the three queens get ready for the celebrations. Aleisa watched her maid as the girl curled and molded her long raven hair into an elegant yet simple hairstyle. Susan noticed her wistful expression and smiled fondly.

"Peter is a lucky man to finally be marrying you." She sincerely told her friend. Aleisa glanced over at her in the mirror.

"I think I'm the lucky one. To find someone as loving and noble as he is. I couldn't ask for anything more." She replied shyly. Aleisa couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She was too excited for what was to come within the next few hours.

Over in Peter's room, the King was still asleep. He was a man after all so he didn't take quite as long to get ready. Edmund walked into the dim room and smiled at the snoring lump in the giant bed. Waking him up was going to be quite amusing. He walked over and opened up the curtains so there was actually some light in the room. Unsurprisingly, Peter never stirred. With a smirk Edmund tiptoed over to the side of the bed, where Peter's head was.

"Pete…..hey Peter it's time to wake up now." He called gently. Peter merely grumbled incoherently in response. Edmund snickered.

"Come on sleeping beauty. I think you've had enough sleep by now." Edmund continued. Peter shot a groggy glare at him and snuggled back into his pillows. Edmund smiled and prepared himself for the next reaction. Surely this would get the man up.

"Boy, I feel bad for Aleisa. To think she has to wake up to that face every morning from now on." He told his brother with a playful grimace. Peter mumbled in response followed by a few moments of silence. Suddenly Peter shot up and snapped his head over towards his brother who was trying to contain his laughter.

"It's my wedding day." Peter told him with wide eyes. His face broke out into a grin.

"Well at least you finally got up. I was worried you weren't going to make it in time and just sleep through the whole thing." Edmund teased as he stood up to give his brother room.

"Not today Ed." Peter replied with a smile. There was no way anything was going to keep him from his own wedding.

"Now call for the servants, I need to get ready. Where's my clothes, and my crown, what should I do with my hair…." Peter started rattling off before Edmund silenced him by grabbing his shoulders firmly and chuckled at his older brother.

"Calm down. We still have hours until the wedding." He assured. Peter laughed too.

"Oh Aleisa you look absolutely beautiful!" Susan gushed as she saw Aleisa in her bridal gown. The seamstresses had only recently finished it so no one had seen the finished product yet. The gown was in a gorgeous yet simple ball gown style and when it was coupled with the hair, it made Aleisa look like a goddess. Aleisa blushed at the compliment and admired the work in the full length mirror.

"Really? Do you think Peter will like it?" she nervously asked. Lucy and Susan shared a knowing look.

"He will love it, I think you could show up in rags and Peter will still like you in it." Lucy joked with a wink. The three of them laughed.

"Gee thanks Lucy, I could have just done that and it would have saved time with the fittings." Aleisa mock scolded the younger girl. This sent them into even more laughter. Once they had settled down a bit Aleisa looked back at the mirror in front of her.

"I can't believe I'm finally getting married." She muttered happily. It was like a dream come true.

Peter was standing by the altar. Aslan was next to him, officiating the event. As if by magic, the lion had shown up a month prior to the wedding and was more than happy to marry the royal couple. Peter was nervously fiddling with his collar and shuffling his shoes. Edmund noticed the nervous ticks and stepped up closer to his ear.

"Everything will be fine Pete. You're going to marry the love of your life and live happily ever after." He assured. Peter glanced over at him gratefully. However Edmund couldn't resist teasing his brother.

"Provided that you don't faint….or mess up your vows….or get too sweaty and gross her out…" Edmund added with a smirk. Peter's eyes widened in fear before shoving his brother gently. Edmund snickered at his facial expression.

"I'm kidding Pete! Lighten up." He countered.

"Thanks Edmund." Peter told him sincerely. He could always depend on his brother to lighten the mood. Just then some music began to play and the brothers looked over toward the back of the room. The congregation stood up and watched as the two other Narnian queens made their way down the aisle. Lucy was first, followed by Susan who sent a subtle wink at her older brother. Once those two had made it to the front, the music changed tune and Peter nervously swallowed. As the double doors opened his heart nearly stopped. Aleisa was even more beautiful than he ever could have imagined. Her dress complimented her perfectly and her hair was in a simple style that showed off her delicate face. As she looked up at him with those sea green eyes that he loved, Peter couldn't help but tear up with utter joy. He was finally going to be able to call this amazing woman his wife.

Aleisa gracefully walked through the double doors and steadied her breath. When she looked up she couldn't help but beam up at the man waiting for her. Peter couldn't keep his eyes off of her. As she walked closer she saw that his eye were filled with happy tears and she smiled even wider. How did she get so lucky as to have someone who loved her as much as she loved him? Peter was everything she had ever wanted and even more than she could have ever asked for. He was the perfect king and a wonderful man. Finally she reached the end of the aisle and passed her bouquet off to Susan. Aleisa turned to look at Peter who instantly took her hands in his.

"Hi." He muttered with a goofy grin. Aleisa smiled back elatedly.

"Hi." She greeted right back. The two smiled widely and let out a light laugh. They were both a nervous wreck on the inside, but it was overcome with the pure joy that they were also feeling. Aslan began the ceremony and soon came up to the vows.

"High King Peter, if you would like to begin." Aslan nodded to him. Peter swallowed before beginning.

"Aleisa, that very first time I laid eyes on you I knew you were something special. Even before we met in Narnia. On that train in England, I met my soulmate. You are everything I have ever wanted and needed. You make me complete, and until I met you I didn't even realize how empty my life was. You have become my best friend, my right hand man, and the love of my life. No one could do what you do and I admire you every day for it. From the way that you are so kind and companionate with the citizens of Narnia, to the fierceness in your eyes when you are on the battle field beside me. From here on out that is where I want you to be. Beside me. There is no other person I would ever want to be right by my side, in battle and in life. I love you so much, Aleisa. Much more than words can express. And from this day on I promise to be everything you need. Through sickness and health, through peace and war, and even through my stubbornness and stupidity, I promise to love you and cherish you until the day I die." During his whole speech, Peter never let his eyes wander from hers. By the end Aleisa was in tears. She couldn't help but smiled up at this man. All of the kind words he had just spoken had reached the depths of her heart. She cleared her throat and composed herself a bit before she began with her vows.

"Peter, I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to be marrying you. You have given me more love than I deserve and have gone over and beyond anything I could have ever imagined my future husband to be. You are truly my perfect man. I never thought love at first sight was real until I laid eyes on you. I couldn't help but crave your company as we grew closer over the years. You were born to be a ruler and I admire that aspect about you. Your chivalry, and courage, and deep devotion to that which you hold dear to your heart. Narnia couldn't ask for a better leader and I couldn't ask for a better person to be with forever. I promise to strive to be the best wife I can to you and a loyal co-ruler. I couldn't think of anywhere else I would rather be than with you. Nothing can tear apart the love that we have for each other and no matter what the future will bring, whether it be good or bad, I promise to be true to you and to stand by your side for as long as I live." Aleisa told him with pure love shining in her eyes. Peter beamed down at her.

"Now do you, High King Peter the Magnificent, take High Queen Aleisa the Truehearted, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Aslan asked turning towards him.

"I do." Peter responded without hesitation.

"Now do you, High Queen Aleisa the Truehearted, take High King Peter the Magnificent, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Aslan asked her.

"I do." She eagerly responded. The two beamed at each other and Aleisa bounced slightly on her toes in anticipation of what was to come.

"Then by the power vested in me, by the old magic of Narnia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Peter didn't need to be told twice. He eagerly leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on Aleisa's lips, who was now officially his wife. Everyone cheered and clapped in celebration of the married couple. The other Pevensie siblings passed happy looks across the way at each other. They were thrilled for Peter and the fact that they had gained a new sister, legally anyway. The couple broke apart and smiled so wide that it seemed as if their faces would split any moment. The two of them turned to face the crowed and made their way down the aisle towards the banquet hall.

A few more hours into the night everyone was sitting around the many tables, enjoying each other's company and feasting. Aleisa and Peter were sitting at the head of the table with the other Kings and Queens next to them. The other nobles and friends that were invited were spread out among the other tables that made a square in the great hall. All throughout the night the newlyweds had been bombarded with congratulations from all their friends and the visiting nobles. Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers and even Orious had come to wish them the best. However nice all of that was, it was still a bit exhausting for them. So once everyone seemed preoccupied the two of them stole a bit of food and snuck out to one of the towers that overlooked the ocean. They laughed as they chatted and fed each other while taking in the quiet of the night and the beautiful view. Once they had finished their stolen meal they simply stood by the edge and looked out over the sea, with the moon reflecting off the surface of the waters. Aleisa stood with her hands resting on the railing and sighed contentedly. A smile slipped onto her face as she felt the hands of her new husband wrap around her waist from behind. She leaned back against him and laid her hands on top of his. Peter smiled happily and settled his head on top of hers.

"It's beautiful up here." Aleisa murmured, breaking the silence.

"Not as beautiful as you." Peter told her with a goofy smile on his face. Aleisa's face scrunched up in amusement as she tilted her head to look up at him. Peter continued beaming down at her.

"That is…..the cheesiest thing I have ever heard." She told him with a fond giggle. Peter rolled his eyes and hugged her giggling form tighter.

"I was trying to be romantic and you ruined it." He told her, now laughing himself. She turned herself around in his arms and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I'll try not to laugh next time you create another cliché moment." She apologized and smiled up at him. Peter smiled back and lent down to softly kiss her. He felt Aleisa smile into the kiss. Once they pulled away Peter rested his forehead on hers and stared into her mesmerizing eyes that were staring right back at him. His heart swelled at the thought of being able to look into those eyes for the rest of his life.


	37. Chapter 37

**[4 years later]**

The soft glow of the morning light seeped into the bedchambers of the royals. Aleisa's eyes fluttered open as the light reached her face, arousing her from her peaceful sleep. With a small yawn she reached up and rubbed her eyes tiredly before looking over at her sleeping husband. She softly smiled as she took in his features and peaceful expression. Peter had grown up quite nicely in her opinion, not that she was bias or anything. His face had thinned out and was now covered with a light amount of facial hair. Some women didn't like that but she actually preferred it. Aleisa saw it as something that gave him a more manly appearance. Knowing that he wouldn't wake up as easily as she did, from experience over the past few years of marriage, Aleisa had to force him awake. She knew most of the ways to effectively awaken him, but some mornings were harder than others. Aleisa placed a hand on his bare chest and began making imaginary designs on the chiseled surface.

"Peter" she coed close to his ear. He only shifted slightly and tightened his hold on her waist. Aleisa smirked.

"Peter, hon it's time to wake up." She continued while pressing gentle kisses across his cheek, down his jaw and up to his nose. Peter slowly began to come back to consciousness and smiled lazily, but kept his eyes closed.

"You missed." He groggily murmured. Aleisa looked at him in confusion.

"And how is that?" she asked. Peter peeked an eye open and smiled smugly at her. She immediately got the hint and grinned back. She leaned over and kissed his lips this time. Peter brought up one of his hands and caressed the side of her face as he continued on with the kiss. After a moment Aleisa pulled away.

"I could get used to waking up like that." Peter told her, grinning madly. Aleisa giggled at his cheekiness and started to sit up in bed. Peter whined but she swiftly avoided his attempt to pull her back.

"We don't have time for that right now. There are important things to get done today, remember." She scolded him with a smile on her face. Peter groaned childishly while Aleisa went behind a screen to change into her dress for the day.

"Why can't Edmund, Susan, and Lucy do it? I'm sure they don't need us." He protested. Aleisa walked out from behind the screen and shook her head at him. He watched her as she walked over to his side of the bed.

"All of us have to be there. Now come on." She ordered and grabbed his hand to pull him up out of bed. Peter reluctantly stood up but grabbed her again once he was on his feet. Aleisa squealed in surprise while Peter beamed down triumphantly at her. He started to lean down to capture another kiss from her but Aleisa giggled again and moved her head out of the way, prying herself out of his embrace.

"Now is not the time, love. Go get dressed please." She scolded and pushed him in the direction of their closet.

"Yes, your majesty." He remarked and sent a smirk in her direction as he walked. Aleisa sighed and shook her head at him. Oh that man…

"Are you sure it is coming from inside Cair Paravel?" Peter asked with a heavy sigh. He was hunched over a large map of Narnia marked with the places were Telmaraine armies had invaded or ambushed, but they haven't succeed yet. For the past few months Telmaraine soldiers had been invading weak points of the country and even ambushing nobles and the royals as they traveled. None of the attempts had been successful, due to the power and loyalty of the Narnian soldiers but the fact that it was happening was still unsettling. Someone had to have been leaking out sensitive information to the enemy. Right now just the Kings, Queens, and their most trusted advisors were in the counsel room. To make sure no one was listening in the posted a couple loyal guards at the entrances of the room.

"That is the only possible answer, my Liege." Orious responded reluctantly. Aleisa looked up at him before glancing back over at Peter, who was standing to her right. Peter tiredly ran a hand down his face.

"Well who would want to betray Narnia like this?" Edmund piped up from Peter's other side.

"And who would have access or knowledge about our movements and developments across Narnia." Susan added. Logically the traitor had to be someone who fit those two requirements.

"If I may your Majesties…." Mr. Beaver piped up. Everyone in the room looked over at him.

"Rion, the new army advisor has become quite suspicious lately. Leaving during strange times of the day, multiple letters coming in addressed to him, and even the looks he throws behind your backs is quite troubling." Beaver listed off. The royals all looked to each other in thought. He definitely fit the bill. Rion would know about those types of things. Some he was put in charge of and others he would have probably heard during a conversation. At first he had been checked out, and had proved himself a loyal citizen of Narnia, but now they weren't so sure. Something had changed.

"Ok, so what should we do? We can't just accuse him of treason without any evidence?" Lucy asked the others in the room, looking specifically to Peter. Peter looked over at Aleisa in silent conversation. He trusted her judgement and would always look to her first for advice. After a moment of silence, while they communicated with their eyes. Peter spoke up.

"Put him under observation. Beaver, you and Mr. Tumnus keep an eye on him if you wouldn't mind." He suggested. The two nodded their heads in agreement.

"But we also need to do something right away. If it is him then we can risk him becoming suspicious. Or if it's not him then we may risk another attack." Aleisa piped up. Peter glanced over at her and nodded his head in agreement.

"So have someone search his quarters?" Edmund suggested. Aleisa smiled and nodded at him.

"I'll do it. And I can take Orious with me to make sure there are no surprises." He continued. Peter reluctantly nodded and looked to Orious.

"We'll do that at the end of the week. Just to be thorough. We can distract him with a false meeting while you do." Aleisa told them. All those in the room nodded in agreement and left.

After the week was over, there was no doubt that Rion was the traitor. Beaver and Tumnus had read some of his letters, containing Narnian secrets. Also Edmund had discovered Telmarane money hidden in the floorboards. However, they weren't expecting a small raid on Cair Paravel itself. Everyone was inside the castle attending to some important business, while Peter decided to go out to the training grounds to blow off some steam. The fact that one of his advisors would sell out his country for mere money sickened him. He had spent a good half hour sword training with Orious and had grown tired. That was until he heard a muted thump behind him. He immediately perked up and paused his swing. Carefully looking around he tried to find whatever had made that noise. The two watched in anticipation as they waited for anything to happen. Suddenly an arrow flew out of the bushes by the wall and embedded itself into Peter's right side. The High King stumbled to his knees in pain. Just as soon as he did a small grouping of Telmaranes raced out and attacked the two of them. Peter painfully stood up and defended himself against the attackers, who were no match for the two Narnian soldiers. Soon enough all the attackers were dead, but Peter collapsed from loss of blood. Orious swiftly picked the man up and galloped towards the healers inside the castle.

"What happened?!" Aleisa frantically asked as she burst into the healing room. One of the nurses had alerted her and the other royals to what had happened, but Aleisa hadn't stayed long enough to listen to the full story. Her priority was making sure her husband was fine. Peter had regained consciousness and was resting on the table as a doctor wrapped his bleeding wound.

"A small band of Telmaranes attacked us while we were out in the training fields. Someone had let them in." Orious told her from where he stood by the wall. There was no way they got in by themselves. Aleisa rushed over and knelt down next to Peter, taking his hand in hers. She scanned him over and made sure that he wasn't hiding any other injuries, as he tended to do.

"Dear I'm fine. Really it's not that bad…." Peter assured but trailed off as he winced painfully while the wound was being bandaged. Aleisa raised a disapproving eyebrow at him. Rion had gone too far.

"You stay here and rest. I'll take care of Rion." She told him with a growl and stood up.

"Aleisa, don't do anything too brash or stupid!" he called out. Even if Rion was a traitor, as royalty they still had to maintain a certain kind of conduct and Aleisa tended to throw all of that out the window when her family was threatened. Plus he didn't want her to go alone and put herself in harm's way. Aleisa paused in the doorway and gave him an innocent look.

"Now why would I do something like that?" she questioned and walked away. Peter ran his hand down his face. Rion was about to have a rude awakening.

The double doors flew open as a furious High Queen Aleisa marched into the room, with Edmund and guards in tow. The army advisors whipped around in surprise, while Rion visibly paled.

"Rion you are hereby charged with treason and conspiracy to murder High King Peter." She told him with an icy glare as the guards moved forward to arrest him. Edmund watched with an amused expression from behind her. In situations like this Peter always tried to calm her down and act properly, however Edmund was all for her fury being unleashed on the poor soul. This snake that had caused so much trouble deserved everything he knew he was going to get.

"By what evidence?" he cried out, trying to hide his fear. It wasn't often that Aleisa got genuinely mad, but when it happened no one wanted to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

"The evidence of the Narnian secrets you tried to send out, the Telmarane money, and the fact that you were in charge of the guards near the walls today. They informed us that you moved them to another location, leaving the wall near the training grounds unguarded." Edmund piped up. Aleisa continued to glare at the man who dared to harm her loved ones and betray her beloved country. Rion swallowed, knowing he was done.

"But my lady….surely…."

"SILENCE!" Aleisa practically roared at him. She was done with his games.

"You are to be executed tomorrow evening." She told him, regaining her composure. Rion glared daggers at her back as she and Edmund turned to walk away.

"I'm only sorry that they didn't succeed in killing your rat of a husband." He called out in anger. Aleisa stopped and swallowed hard, trying to reign in her anger. That did it. With lightning speed she whipped back around and gracefully walked back over towards the man. Edmund knew what was about to happen and had no intention of stopping it. Rion watched the queen warily as she got closer and stood calmly in front of him. Suddenly her fist flew out and punched him right in the nose, resulting in a loud crack as it broke. Rion yelled out in pain and grabbed his nose. With this Aleisa nodded to the guards who then dragged him away. All the advisors looked at her with surprised expressions, bar the ones that had been there a while, they just smirked in approval. Aleisa took in a deep breath and nodded politely to them.

"Gentlemen." She then walked out of the doors and Edmund closed them behind her. The two of them walked down the hallway a little ways before they ended up by a hidden balcony. Aleisa swallowed thickly before shouting out in pain and shaking her hand. Everyone tends to forget that punching people hurts both participants. Edmund chuckled as she looked at him with a glare.

"It hurts like the devil." She whined and shook her hand in pain again. Edmund gently walked towards her and looked at her hand.

"The sod deserved it though." He told her with a smirk. Aleisa chuckled. Edmund looked down at her bruising knuckles and sighed.

"Come on, let's get this looked at." Edmund suggested and gently escorted her to the healer's room.

Peter looked up as he heard the door open. He wore a curious expression when he saw Edmund and his wife walk in, but it changed to worry as he saw Aleisa cradling her hand.

"What happened?" he asked them, slowly sitting up. Aleisa shot him a sheepish grin while Edmund laughed.

"Well, Aleisa here didn't like what Rion had to say so she broke his nose." Edmund told him. Peter's eyes widened as he glanced to his wife that was now being tended to. Peter turned back to Edmund.

"Why didn't you stop her?!" he asked his brother. He knew Edmund was aware of Aleisa's temper. Edmund just shrugged and wore a smirk.

"I wanted to see her do it." He told Peter with a 'duh' tone. Peter rolled his eyes and looked back at his wife. She sent him an innocent smile, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What an example we are." He muttered sarcastically, referring to all three of their actions. They all chuckled and Aleisa walked over to sit next to Peter on the table.

"I love you." She told him, hoping to gain forgiveness. Peter shook his head fondly.

"I love you too. Even when you do stupid things." He told her with a grin. They all laughed again. Just another day in the life of the crazy royals. But they wouldn't have it any other way.


	38. Chapter 38

**[8 years later]**

Peter walked around the room getting together what he would need for his hunt that day. As he pulled on his cloak he looked over and saw Aleisa sitting in the window seat of their room with a far off expression. He walked over and sat down behind her.

"What's on your mind dear?" he gently asked and put an arm around her. Aleisa turned her head to look at him with a weary expression. Peter furrowed his eyebrows, it wasn't like her too look this sad.

"Just things." She sighed and gave him a look. Peter sighed too. He knew exactly what she was worrying about. A baby. For the past few years they had been trying to grow their family but to no avail. The two of them desperately wanted children, but it seemed to affect Aleisa more.

"Don't worry about that." He told her and tilted her chin up to make eye contact. When he did he noticed that they were glistening with unshed tears.

"But I can't help but worry about it. What if it's my fault Peter? What's wrong with me that I can't give you children?" she asked shakily. Peter immediately wrapped his arms around her in a comforting manner.

"Nothing is wrong with you. Don't even begin to think that. You are perfect and Aslan knows why it's not time for us to have kids right now. No matter what I will always so love you, if we have kids or not. My family is perfect just the way it is." He assured her. Aleisa latched onto him and sniffled, letting out silent tears as she still hated to cry. After a few moments he pulled back a little to see that she had calmed down a little.

"Besides, the four of us are going after that White Stag today. It was spotted over in the Shuttering Woods. Maybe if the legends are true it will grant us a wish." He told her with a smile. Aleisa looked a bit reluctant about it.

"Do you really believe that?" she asked skeptically. She wasn't so sure about the whole wish thing. Peter smirked at her as he pulled the two of them up.

"It's Narnia…..anything can happen." He told her with total confidence and a grin. Aleisa laughed a little and smiled a genuine smile.

"Now that's much better." He commented when he saw the smile on his wife's face. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, which she eagerly returned. Even after all these years, they both got a rush when they would kiss each other. Once they pulled away Peter reluctantly headed towards the door.

"So will you be ok by yourself today?" he hesitantly asked. Aleisa shook her head at him with a smile.

"I'll be fine. You need some time with your siblings anyway. Just make sure you come back in due time." She warned and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. Peter gripped her back.

"Don't worry. I'll always come back for you." He assured her and placed a kiss on her temple before walking away. Aleisa smiled to herself as she watched him walk down the hallway. After a few more minutes she looked out from one of the balconies and waved to the siblings as they rode away, after the infamous White Stag.

Through the forest the kings and queens galloped after the white stag. The trees had a redish color to them as it was nearing the winter months. The thundering of hooves was heard at the royals rounded the corner. King Peter in the lead, followed by Edmund, Susan, and then Lucy. Susan beamed as she passed by Edmund, whose horse had begun to slow down a little. Lucy laughed from behind them, simply enjoying the feeling of riding. She still maintained her childlike outlook on life. As the three continued on Edmund came to a slow stop looking down at his horse in slight worry. He reached down to stroke his neck.

"Are you alright Phillip?" he gently asked the aging horse. He had remained with Edmund ever since their first battle.

"Not as young as I once was." Phillip answered with a slight huff. They heard the sound of horses neighing, headed back their way. Edmund looked over to see his siblings heading back towards him, noticing that he was missing.

"Come on Ed." Susan joked as the three made a semi-circle in front of him.

"Just catching my breath." Edmund told them, continuing to soothe Phillip.

"Well that's all we'll catch at this rate." She told him, slightly out of breath from their previous hard riding.

"What did he say again Susan?" Lucy asked mockingly, referring to the conversation before they left the castle.

"You girls wait at the castle, I'll go get the stag myself." She answered with a deep voice, imitating Edmund. Edmund looked away sheepishly, knowing they were right and the two girls laughed. Peter chuckled some too, but he was a little preoccupied with thoughts of Aleisa to fully laugh with his sisters. He still didn't like leaving her this morning. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen and he would regret leaving her behind. Suddenly his eyes caught something, he scrunched his face in curiosity. Edmund followed his gazed and had a confused expression too. In the middle of the clearing was a lamppost covered in ivy, and it was still lit.

"What is this?" Peter quietly asked as he dismounted and walked towards it. The rest of his siblings dismounted as well and followed behind him.

"This looks familiar." Peter told them, glancing over at his sisters. All four stood side by side to gaze at it. It was like a memory that was trying to break through the back of their minds, but they couldn't quite place it.

"As if from a dream.." Susan mumbled.

"Or a dream of a dream.." Lucy added. They all stared at it curiously for another moment of silence before Lucy's face lit up in slight recognition.

"Spare Oom." She breathed. Edmund looked over at her curiously. She didn't know why she remembered that name but something was calling for her to explore a little more. She turned and took off down a hidden path.

"Lucy" Peter called out.

"Not again." Susan muttered as the three took off after her. Lucy continued leading her siblings through a thicket of trees, morphing from the colored leaves into pine needles.

"Lu?" Edmund called out cautiously.

"Come on." She urged them excitedly. The sibling continued following, if one took off then they all went. They all continued deeper and deeper into the forest, being led by some unknown force as they almost recognized the path they were taking. Suddenly Peter ran into something that didn't quite belong in a forest. He jerked his head back in slight shock before following after Lucy.

"These aren't branches." He grunted as they pushed past the coats. The forest had become suddenly smaller and the siblings had to start pushing their way forward.

"They're coats." Susan realized as they continued on.

"Susan you're on my foot!"

"Peter get off."

"Move!"

"Will you stop shoving?!"

"You stop shoving!" The voices of the kings and queens morphed into younger versions as the siblings bickered while pushing their way forward into what became a very cramped room. They pushed and shoved onward, unaware of the transformation that was happening and the fact that they were leaving Narnia. Suddenly Peter hit a door and all four of them came piling out of the wardrobe. They all grunted as they hit the floor and looked around in slight shock. Leaning up on their elbows they glanced around at each other, noticing that they were all young again. The same age as when they entered Narnia. Peter sat there in slight shock as realization hit him. He was back at the Professor's…without Aleisa. He looked over at his siblings with wide eyes. With just a look they instantly knew what he was thinking. She was back in Narnia. As they took this in the door to the room opened to reveal the professor holding a cricket ball in his hands. The one that they had knocked through the window.

"Oh…there you are." He calmly commented and walked towards them. They all looked up at him, unsure of what to say.

"What were you all doing in the wardrobe?" he asked them with a mischievous glint in his eye. They all glanced at each other.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you sir." Peter told him seriously. The professor tossed him the cricket ball, which he caught.

"Try me." The man whispered with a knowing look. Peter chuckled and looked down at his hand. His smile dropped as he spotted his wedding band, still on his finger. He swallowed thickly as he remembered the wife he left back in Narnia. Peter couldn't bring himself to cry as he started his self-loathing. He shouldn't have left her behind.

Back in Narnia Aleisa paced around the throne room, anxiously awaiting the return of her husband and his siblings. They should have been back by now and she hadn't heard any news. Suddenly one of the guards came rushing in. She whipped her head around to look at the centaur that had a distressed expression on his face. Aleisa could hear her heart thumping even louder. Something was very wrong.

"What's going on?" she calmly asked, trying not to let her fear show in front of her subjects. The centaur took in a deep breath as he had been sprinting the whole way to the room.

"Your highness something has happened in the shuddering woods. The horses came back without the other kings and queens….they're gone…" he told her, knowing how hard this would hit her. It was her husband and her best friends that had gone missing. She gasped and grabbed her throne as her knees gave out. She desperately tried to keep her sobs in. All she wanted to do was cry and scream to ease the pain in her heart. How could they just disappear? The centaur took a few cautious steps forward before she composed herself and stood up straighter.

"Take me to Phillip, I'm going to look for them." She ordered. The guard looked hesitant but obeyed and pulled her up onto his back to get her there faster. The two flew through the castle down to the stables. Once they arrived she immediately hopped down and rushed towards the stall where she knew Edmund's horse would be. Rushing in she heard the frantic whinnies of a couple horsed that were still worried about their missing masters.

"Phillip, what happened?" She quickly asked the aging horse. Phillip sighed sadly and looked over at her as she approached.

"I don't know my lady. One minute they were staring at some lamppost and then took off into the woods for some unknown reason. They didn't come back so we went looking for them, but found nothing. I'm so sorry." He told her brokenly. He cared deeply for them too. Aleisa took in deep breaths as she ran a hand through her hair. What could possibly make them run off like that? She knew that Peter would never leave her on purpose and all the Pevensies adored Narnia. They wouldn't just take off. After a moment of thought she turned towards the horse.

"Take me to where you last saw them." She told the aging horse. The centaur that brought her immediately stepped forward in protest.

"Your Highness, maybe we should just send a search party instead. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you and leave us without rulers." He gently reminded. Aleisa whipped around to look at him with nothing but determination.

"I will not stand by while my husband….my family is missing." She insisted before mounting Phillip. The centaur nodded in understanding and went to alert the advisors that would be taking over whenever the kings and queens were absent. Aleisa wasted no time in letting Phillip lead the way to where they royals disappeared to.

After almost an hour of riding the two were almost at the place where the others had disappeared. However Aleisa heard the soft sound of a lion roaring. She pulled back on the reigns to stop Phillip.

"You're highness?" the horse asked, slightly breathless. They weren't quite at the lamppost yet. Actually they were close to where Mr. Tumnus' house used to be. He had since moved to the castle with the royals since he was such a close friend.

"Just hold on a minute Phillip. I could have sworn I heard something." She told him distractedly as she dismounted. She was sure she heard a lion. Aslan maybe? Aleisa made her way towards where she had supposedly heard the voice. She began walking through the small canyon that seemed vaguely familiar to her. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she continued on. Surely she had been here before, but when. She passed by a small alcove when she felt a breeze blow her direction abruptly. Aleisa paused and tried to look into the alcove. Something seemed to be calling her to look inside. Glancing around she slowly walked towards the entrance. As she walked in Aleisa was immediately plunged into darkness, making her walk even slower. This cavern seemed familiar, but how? As she continued on for what seemed like forever she finally saw a small sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. As she neared it, she was hit by the smell of old books and dust. What could be behind that door? She slowly turned the knob and as she did, she tripped over a coat rack that was just on the other side. Aleisa grunted as she hit the floor hard. After a moment she cleared her vision and looked around to see the room of her grandfather….in her uncle's house. Her eyes widened in alarm and she looked back at the door she had just come from…but it was gone. She stood up and lunged to the now solid wall, feeling for any edges that could reveal a door. It had just been there, why was it missing?! How was she supposed to get back? She slumped down the wall as realization hit her. Narnia was gone, the Pevensies were gone…..Peter was gone. She didn't even know where he lived back in this world. She didn't even know if he was alive. Aleisa swallowed thickly as a flood of emotions hit her all at one. Her head jerked up in slight alarm as the door swung open and her uncle walked in with a puzzled expression.

"Aleisa? What are you doing in here? Anything fun?" he asked. Aleisa looked at him curiously noticing the knowing look on his face. He couldn't possibly know about Narnia, could he?

"You have no idea." she told him with a slight laugh before wringing her hands distractedly. She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt the ring on her finger. She smiled down sadly at the only thing she had left of her life in Narnia.


	39. Chapter 39

The days passed on and the Pevensies struggled with the reality that they were back in England. They missed Narnia and everything about it. Peter seemed to be taking it the hardest. Just about every night he would wake up in a cold sweat and end up at the wardrobe when he couldn't go back to sleep. He was so used to waking up with his wife at his side. Now he was back to being a 16 year old boy who was single in this world. He didn't even know if she had made it out of Narnia. Was she dead? Was she back in England too? How was he supposed to know? It ate him up inside knowing that he had lost her. He had lost his soulmate and it was possible that he would never find her again. One night Lucy had wandered back over to the wardrobe too, only to find Peter sitting outside of it with silent tears running down his face. He didn't even notice that she had walked in, he was too preoccupied staring at the ring he held in his hands. He had switched it to his right ring finger, but refused to take it off. It was the only thing he had left of Aleisa. Lucy silently walked over and sat down beside her brother.

"Don't worry Peter. You'll find her again." She comforted, placing a hand on Peter's. He looked up at her brokenness clear in his blue eyes.

"There's no way of knowing that Lu. I'm afraid that I've lost her forever. I promised her that I would always come back…..and I broke that promise." He muttered, holding back sobs near the end.

"Love like that doesn't happen every day Peter. I'm sure Aslan knows what he's doing. She'll come back to you." Lucy assured with unwavering confidence. There was no way that Peter was going to go through another lifetime without her. He would never be the same. Peter allowed himself to truly cry this time, burying his face in his arms.

"I hope so Lu." He sobbed quietly. Lucy held back her own tears as she hugged her brother. She missed Aleisa too, but knew that Peter missed her the most. She prayed that they would find each other again, for his sake.

Aleisa wasn't doing any better. She also wore her ring and would often just sit there and stare at it. It began to worry Maria and Ross. The teen hadn't been the same since they found her in her grandfather's study. Maria would often stop by and hear her crying into her pillow at night, and she couldn't figure out why. On one afternoon she decided to confront Aleisa about her sudden attitude change. She walked over to where Aleisa was sitting by the window just starting out and fiddling with the ring on her finger. Maria silently sat down across from her.

"That's a beautiful ring. Where did you get it?" she gently asked, hoping to coax some conversation out of the silent teen. Aleisa smiled slightly, gazing at the ring.

"A boy." She whispered with a fond smile. Aleisa couldn't exactly explain to her that she was married to this 'boy' for years just a few days ago. Technically here she had only known him for a few hours on a train ride. Maria smiled and let out a little chuckle at her answer.

"Must have been some boy." She mused. Aleisa smiled and glanced over at her aunt.

"You have no idea." she answered seriously.

"Is that why you've been so down recently?" her aunt continued. Aleisa's smile immediately dropped.

"Yea. I miss him a lot." Aleisa told her, tears starting to come back up. Maria reached over and embraced the teen in a hug.

"I don't even know where he is right now. I have no way of finding him again." She confided while her tears continued to flow. Maria didn't fully understand what her niece was talking about but she did understand heartbreak when she saw it. This girl was beyond heartbroken.

"That special huh?" She commented with a hidden smirk. Aleisa only nodded.

"One of the last things he said was that he would always come back for me. But now I'm not so sure he can keep that." Aleisa continued while hugging her aunt tighter. It was killing her knowing that Peter was taken away from her so abruptly with no way of finding her again.

"Don't worry dear. I don't know this boy but by the way you talk about him, I'm sure he really meant that. Don't give up on him just yet." Maria soothed. Aleisa sniffled and nodded her head. She would find him again, no matter how long it would take.


	40. Chapter 40

Continue this story in my sequel - We Meet Again- which is uploaded on my page.


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